The Sword and the Spiral
by cagedbird361
Summary: When Katana Suterusu returns to Konoha, she expected to live her life as a normal shinobi. But then she meets Neji Hyuuga and her past begins to haunt her. Trying to stay away from him is impossible and Katana must face her past to face the future.NejixOC
1. Prologue: Coming Home

**The Spiral and the Sword**

Prologue: Coming Home

It was sometime around midnight, the moon high and the stars bright. The wind blew through the trees harshly, disrupting the leaves and branches that had settled, blowing them into disarrayed masses and clumps. It had been the same way when she had left the village, a windstorm with no rain or clouds, just wind threatening to carry her away. How long had it been since she was last here? A month? Two months? Two years? She wasn't sure. The only thing that mattered was that she was back. She had finally returned to Konohagakure: the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

The only noise was the singing wind and the branches bending and creaking, no sign that this part of the country was populated by anything except animals and the trees. But she knew better to believe that. The high walls came into view before long and she approached soundlessly. Living in the wilderness for her whole mission taught her some valuable lessons, one being to never make noise when you come into an area where you aren't expected.

There were night guards, she expected that, but they didn't see her until she was several hundred feet from the main gates. Wearing dark colors paid off once in a while. They didn't greet her with open arms, which was no surprise. Suspicion lingered in each guard's eyes, following her with every movement she made towards the village. She had gotten closer to the village gates than she thought she would before a guard relinquished his post from the peak of the gates and appeared in front of her

"State your name and business," he ordered, lifting a kunai from his leg holster. She recognized him, but it was some where in the whisper of a memory, in the foggiest parts. What was his name? He had spiky dark hair and a strip of cloth covered right below his eyes and the bridge of his nose. Kotetsu. That was his name.

"Don't you recognize me?" she asked quietly, her voice nearly carried away by the wind. He narrowed his eyes, his knuckles turning white in the moonlight as he tightened the hold on his kunai. "I didn't think you would. My name is Katana Suterusu." Kotetsu still had a distrusting look on his face, not buying what she said. "I've been on a mission for a very long time and I have finally completed it. Ask the Sandaime if you see it necessary."

"What are you talking about? The Sandaime has been dead for several years now." Kotetsu watched as shock and confusion spread over Katana's face. She regained her composure and bowed her head.

"I said it before, I've been gone for a long time. I was out of the land for many years and I guess I'm out of the loop. So who is the Hokage now?"

"I'm not telling you anything, stranger," Kotetsu growled. "I can't be sure how trustworthy you are. Show me you have a Leaf hitai-ate and maybe I'll let you have an audience with the Hokage."

Katana tugged at a pocket in her rucksack, retrieving her hitai-ate and tying it to her forehead. She hadn't worn it in a while; some countries didn't trust Konohagakure shinobi. Kotetsu narrowed his eyes but still didn't move. Katana heaved a subtle sigh and unzipped the front of her sweater. She slipped the sleeve off of her left shoulder and turned it to Kotetsu's direction.

His jaw dropped open a few centimeters at the sight of the tattoo on her left shoulder, the tattoo that signified she had been a part of the Anbu Black Ops. He should be surprised; Katana had gotten it when she was just twelve. It hadn't been because she was strong, but because the Anbu had lacked numbers at the time and the Sandaime believed she showed promise.

With a reluctant jerk of his head, Kotetsu led her over the walls and into the village. Everything was silent, the shops, the streets, the houses; everyone had retired to their bedrooms some time ago no doubt. There was only the occasional street lamp to provide illumination in the dark streets, the rest of the village plunged into blackness. The only building that had most of its lights on was Kotetsu and Katana's destination: the Hokage's Tower.

Many things had changed since Katana was last in the village. Several of the buildings were different, being rebuild or refurbished, and there was another face added to the Hokage Mountain. Katana couldn't tell whose face it was, the moon wasn't providing enough light at the point in time.

Kotetsu led Katana into the Hokage's Tower, walking quickly through the halls. He came to the Hokage's office, the sound of quiet snoring coming from behind the heavy oak door, and rapped his knuckles on it. The snoring stopped abruptly and a female voice beckoned them to enter. Kotetsu opened the door and ushered Katana inside. She was caught off guard when she first saw the shinobi who had taken the Sandaime's place.

She was a young buxom, blonde woman with brown eyes and Katana was sure she has seen the woman before. It took her a moment to figure it out, but Katana finally came to the conclusion that the Hokage was none other than the legendary and famed Lady Tsunade. Katana was stymied as to why she was chosen as the Hokage, but it wasn't her place to question the village elders' reasoning.

"Greetings, Lady Tsunade," Katana said quietly, inclining her body slightly in a respectful bow.

"And who might you be to come this late at night?" the Hokage snapped loudly.

Katana spent the next ten minutes explaining herself, her mission, and the ending results. Lady Tsunade went shuffling through a large stack of papers detailing missions that had yet to be completed, finding the one she sought at the very bottom of the pile. She scanned it swiftly, and then looked at Katana over the edge.

"It's all here; everything you've said is true." Lady Tsunade set the paper down and laced her fingers together, resting her elbows on the desk. "So your mission was a success, and you've returned safely, which is all I could ask for. I can give you a few weeks rest because of this lengthy mission, but your duties will commence soon after that. Okay?"

Katana nodded subtly. "Understood."

With a flick of Lady Tsunade's hand, she was dismissed and left the Hokage's office.

* * *

Anko Mitarashi yawned and rolled out of bed. It was a few hours after midnight and she stumbled into the kitchen of her apartment. A midnight snack always helped her sleep better if she woke up in the middle of the night. She opened the refrigerator, the yellow light giving her face a sickly tinge. After a bit of searching, Anko found what she was looking for: sticks of dango and a cup of sweet red bean soup.

Sitting down in one of the two chairs at the small table, Anko began to munch on the dango sticks, humming quietly to herself to fill the silence. She was half way through the soup cup when there was a knock at the door, making her jump and nearly spill her soup.

_Who would be at _my_ door at this time of the night?_ She wondered as she rose from the chair, taking one of the dango sticks as a weapon. She took a look through the peephole in her door, but the hallway outside was too dark for her to clearly make out whom the person was. Altering her grip on the dango stick, Anko opened the door, masking her face in her fiercest glare.

The person took a step back as Anko approached, but she stopped short once the person's face became clear. Anko's jaw hung open slightly as she took in whom it was; almost thinking she was still asleep and dreaming. "No way. It can't be…"

"Hello, Anko," the person said. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Katana Suterusu," Anko whispered. "I can't believe it. I thought you were dead. It's been four years you were on that mission."

"Wow, that long?" Katana mused, rubbing her tired eyes. She then lifted her head and looked Anko in the eye. "Hey, I really apologize for the hour and the time I haven't been here, but is that invitation you gave me still open. I don't really have any place to go…"

Anko grinned and wrapped her arm around Katana's shoulder. "Of course it's still open!" she said loudly for the late hour. "And if you think I would turn you away after you've been out of the village for four years, you're sorely mistaken. But you're going to have to take the couch tonight. The spare bedroom is sort of out of commission at the time."

Katana had been ten when she had first taken the Chunin Exams. Times with her family were rough and Anko had offered her a spare bedroom in her apartment if things got out of hand. Katana had gone to Anko several times even after the exams were over because of troubles at home. Anko became like a sister, someone Katana could go to and spill all her troubles to, someone who would take her side even when everyone else turned away. They had grown very close until Katana had been sent away on her mission.

Happy to have a pillow under her head instead of the hard rocky soil for once in a very long time, Katana fell asleep quickly on Anko's couch. The older kunoichi watched her for a while, noticing that her appearance had changed significantly over four years. Who knew what other changes she had endured, whether they were emotional or mental. Quietly snickering to herself, Anko finished her midnight snack, occasionally humming absently.

****************************************

Author Note: Hello everyone. If you are reading this then you've either been kind enough to read the prologue of my first fanfiction or you just scrolled down to see if there was anything worth reading. Either way I thank you for choosing to at least browse my story. This may be a little confusing but everything will be revealed in time. I would be very happy if you continue to read my story and review. It will get better if you thought this beginning was bad and some more Naruto characters will enter soon. Which reminds me to say that the only thing I own is Katana. Naruto doesn't and never will belong to me sadly. T_T Anyway, thanks for reading! ^_^

-cagedbird361


	2. Chapter 1: Headstrong

Chapter 1: Headstrong

Neji Hyuuga swore he would one day strangle Rock Lee. Their mission would have lasted only half as long if he hadn't gotten them lost and overdone himself trying to fight off the very people they were commissioned to protect. Neji calmly walked to his clan's house, preparing to get an earful from the Main Branch about always returning to the house when he was expected. The Main Branch was very particular about the whereabouts of the Branch House members, always wanting to know where they were if they needed to leave the clan compound. Neji was sure to get a lecture because of his extended absence, something he was not looking forward to. But he could always take his anger out on Lee in their next training session.

Leaving the clan house after a lengthy lecture about matters he was already aware of, Neji wanted nothing more than to practice his Jyuuken in one of the more secluded training fields. Navigating the village by the back roads so he could avoid crowds, Neji arrived at one of the more seldom used training fields in half the time it normally would have taken. He leaped over the chain link gate with a chakra-powered jump, landing soundlessly on the grass on the opposite side.

Neji leaped through the trees that covered the training field, every sound of civilization being sucked away into the world behind him. Silence enveloped him, everything quiet except for the random twitter of a bird, the chatter of a squirrel, the chirp of an insect, or the whistle of wind through the branches. Many leaves and small twigs were scattered across the ground; it was said there had been a violent windstorm a few days ago that had swept through the entire Fire Country. Neji was so fixated on examining the altered landscape that he didn't sense the chakra flare until he was almost on top of it.

Skidding to a halt on the nearest tree branch, Neji took a moment to analyze the chakra flare. It wasn't very strong, signifying that the person wasn't performing any jutsu at the moment. But the owner was close, close enough to be in range of Neji's Byakugan. Forming the hand seal, he activated his kekkei genkai, turning the world around him white, gray, and black, all colors transformed into their negative form. After some searching ahead of him, Neji found the owner of the chakra flare. He deactivated his Byakugan and leaped forward, venturing as close to the other shinobi as he dared without giving away his position.

The owner was a girl that looked around Neji's age who reminded him strikingly of Tenten. She had brown hair pulled into a bun, but only one bun, and Neji glimpsed brown eyes when she happened to turn to him. She had a scar on the left side of her face, running from the outer corner of her eye to the left side of her jaw. She wore a zip-up dark gray sweatshirt and pants of a slightly darker shade. She had a Leaf hitai-ate tied around her forehead, and an odd armor-like back-plate strapped to her back that had sheathes four occupied by swords. Neji wasn't sure of what she was doing at first, but it soon became apparent that she was… dancing.

The girl swept her feet across the ground, clouds of dirt rising around her ankles. She then kicked one of her legs into the air, making it stay in place by her ear, surprising Neji with her muscle strength and flexibility. He, like all shinobi, was flexible, but he wasn't able to keep his leg by his ear without the aid of his hands. The girl lowered her leg and continued her movements by spinning in circles. Every now and then, she would lash out with one of her limbs in a graceful movement, whether it was a punch or a kick.

She ceased her spinning after several revolutions, sweeping her feet over the ground again, but this time moving her arms as if blocking attacks aimed in her direction. Then she bowed her body, planting her hands on the ground and kicked one of her legs over her head, a kick that would have struck an opponent in the chin or chest. She removed her hands and straitened up, then bent over backwards. She did a swift back bend, kicking her legs over as if to strike other opponents, and came up on her feet. Taking several steps backwards, the girl drew one of the four swords from her back-plate. It then occurred to Neji that everything she had been doing was a taijutsu combination.

She brandished the sword skillfully, looking more like a samurai than a shinobi as she flipped through the air. She landed in different stances, swinging the blade in different combinations and styles. Some were meant to disarm, some were meant to parry, some were meant to be offensive, and some were meant to be deathblows. She moved the blade to her left hand, wielding it with just as much expertise. She swung the sword, rolled over the ground, came out of it in a crouch, and stabbed upward. The sunlight flitted through the trees and glinted off the blade for a moment before the girl rose to her feet and sheathed her weapon.

Neji watched her perform a few more taijutsu combinations until she returned to spinning again. But after about three revolutions, she, instead of moving the entire three hundred and sixty degrees, only turned one hundred and eighty. She faced Neji from where he was concealed by the tree branches and leaves for only a moment, but it was just long enough for her for retrieve a kunai and throw it in his exact direction.

Caught off guard, Neji moved his head just enough so the kunai would miss his face. It skimmed across his cheek and embedded itself in the tree bark behind him. Neji returned his attention to the girl and saw her staring him, as if she could see him through the foliage. Her expression wasn't friendly, holding suspicion and distrust. She didn't move a muscle for a long time, just standing there with her eyes locked on Neji's hidden form. She finally opened her mouth to speak.

"I know you're hiding there," she growled coldly. "Come out of the trees and face me if you're any respectable shinobi. Or maybe you're just a coward."

Neji, sighing to himself, saw he had little choice in the matter of staying where he was. The girl had already detected his presence and it was pointless to run. And he wasn't sure she would remain docile if left without confronting her. He leaped out of the tree and landed adjacent to the girl. She locked him with a fierce glare, a glare almost as vicious as one given by the Byakugan.

"Why were you spying on me?" the girl growled, narrowing her eyes to thin slits.

"I wasn't spying on you," Neji retorted monotonously. "I've never seen you before." The girl narrowed her eyes further if it was possible, the distrust radiating off of her body. The scar on her face stood out darkly from the rest of her pale skin, giving her a slightly malicious aura.

"Then why are you here of all places?" she continued to question. "If you're not spying on me, why do you happen to be in the same training field as I am? There are plenty of others in this village if I'm not mistaken."

"I prefer to train in more secluded and seldom used training fields," Neji answered coldly. He wasn't content with having to explain himself to this girl. Who was she to question him? "You're the one who happened to be in my training field."

"_Your_ training field?" the girl snapped incredulously. "Since when have training fields been designated to certain people? I was under the impression that they were public property and _anyone_ could use them." She planted one of her hands on her hip, glaring like a basilisk.

"I'm usually the only one who comes here; I didn't mean it literally," Neji snapped back at her.

The girl lifted her upper lip slightly in a snarl. "Well, I was here first. If you want this training field, you're going to have to fight for it."

Neji waited for a minute, but when the girl's expression didn't change, he determined she wasn't joking around. She was serious about the fight. _Should I really fight her?_ Neji thought. _She doesn't seem very strong, but her combinations looked complex and her skills with swords seem to be close to Tenten's level of expertise. But I do need a challenge. _

"Fine, then, I'll fight you," Neji proclaimed.

"Good, but first I want to know the name of the person I have challenged," the girl said unsheathing one of her swords.  
"It's common courtesy to present your own name before asking someone else theirs," Neji mocked. He had wanted to repeat that saying ever since Uchiha had used it on him in the Chunin Exam so many years ago.

Giving an annoyed sigh and rolling the sword around her wrist, the girl relinquished her name. "Katana Suterusu. Now what's your name so we can get on with this fight?"

"Neji Hyuuga," he replied.

The girl's expression changed for a moment, the icy composure slipping. She looked almost shocked and… scared. But as quickly as it appeared, it vanished, being replaced with seriousness and something close to anger. "Fine then, Neji Hyuuga," she spat his surname out as if the word had a bad taste. "Let us fight."

They stood facing each other for several minutes; the wind blowing through the trees was the only noise. They studied each other, searching for a telltale sign that would give their first move away. Katana narrowed her eyes again, lowering her head slightly so she was glaring at Neji through her eyelashes. She was the one to make the first move.

She leaped forward, blade poised to begin a combination. Neji activated his Byakugan and dodged to the side as the blade came near him. Katana was quick to pursue, able to judge where Neji was headed. She followed him smoothly, approaching with lightening speed. Neji drew a kunai and parried the blade and it was swung in his direction. The two sharp edges were within centimeters of each other, but they never connected. Katana twisted her wrist at the last moment, the blade's angle shifted slightly. But it was slight enough for it to miss Neji's kunai and fly towards his face.

Without much choice, Neji bent backwards to avoid the sword, it slicing the air inches above his nose. Leaping away to regain his balance, Neji jumped into the trees, keeping Katana in his sights. She paused, scanning the leafy canopy for her opponent. Gripping her sword hilt until her knuckles were ivory, she caught his chakra flare approaching her rapidly from behind. Evading to the side, Neji landed on the ground where she had just been, kunai buried into the earth. He ran after her, teeth gritted and eyes burning. She quickly sheathed her sword for the moment, needing both hands for her taijutsu combinations. Katana was getting him riled up, giving her the advantage if he started striking carelessly. But Neji wasn't the kind of person to have his temper get the best of him. He had learned to control himself over time.

The Hyuuga struck forward with one hand, two fingers extended from a clenched fist. Katana blocked the blow, knocking his hand aside by the wrist. She dropped to the ground, aiming a kick up to Neji's chin. He moved his head, her foot swiping the air harmlessly in front of him. She shifted her weight and lashed out at Neji's legs with her other foot, intending to sweep them out from under him. Neji jumped and struck out with his palm. Katana rolled over the ground, using her hands to propel herself to her feet. She turned and swung her fist in a tight, powerful right hook. She missed as Neji evaded, and he retaliated with another palm thrust.

They continued their fight, neither getting superiority over the other. No jutsu was used; they were content to use taijutsu and the occasional weapon. After they had locked together, each other's fist in the other's hand, they leaped back simultaneously. Standing adjacent to one another, both gasping for breath, they scrutinized the other's condition.

Katana was worse off than Neji. She was covered in sweat, her limbs were trembling like leaves in the wind, and her breath rattled in her throat every time she inhaled. Neji was only slightly out of breath, he had endured much more strenuous situations than this simple sparing match, and only a light layer of sweat glossed his forehead. Not like Katana could see it under his hitai-ate.

Katana abruptly drew one of her swords and came at him. Drawing another kunai, he dodged her blade and struck at her with his own weapon. She dodged as well, rolling across the ground. Getting to her feet, Katana came at him again. Neji readied his blade, seeing her chakra flow with his Byakugan. He anticipated her movements and set up his counter attack. But at the last moment, she changed direction and dove to the side, swinging her sword at a different angle. But all of Neji's training with Tenten had conditioned him in how to move to all sorts of weapons.

He felt his kunai hit flesh, but simultaneously felt something hard and icy hit his own neck. He froze, as did Katana, and they stared at each other. Each had their blade against the other's neck. Katana's eyes widened in surprise and one word left her lips.

"Draw."

They pulled their weapons away, straitening up and stepping back. Neji set his jaw and furrowed his brow. Katana folded her arms over her chest and glared at Neji. Neither of the two were proud. A draw was not something to brag about; it showed that one shinobi was unable to rise above and subdue the other.

"Well, even though the ending was a little displeasing," Katana murmured, "I haven't had a challenge like that in a while." Neji lifted one of his eyebrows, giving her a quizzical look. "I look forward to our next spar, Neji of the Hyuuga Clan."

Without another word, Katana spun on her heels, keeping her gaze on him for a moment, and leaped into the trees. She disappeared into the foliage and didn't return. Neji grumbled to himself at her rudeness, but something about the look she had given him as she had turned around didn't sit well with him. It gave him a nasty sense of foreboding, a sense he didn't like. It had been a look of coldness, anger, and hatred.

Putting it out of his head, he began what he came to the training field to do: he lowered into a stance and started practicing Jyuuken.

***************************

Author Note: first chapter- or second if you count prologue- yay. Sorry if the fight scene was a little hard to follow. I tend to jump around and move things too quickly. There still may be some confusion but as I said before, everything will be revealed in time. So thanks for reading and reviews are always appreciated. ^_^ And I don't own Naruto, just Katana because she's my OC. So until next time, peace out.

-cagedbird361


	3. Chapter 2: Somewhere I Belong

Chapter 2: Somewhere I Belong

Katana slammed the door to Anko's apartment, bolting to her room, and looked around wildly. She needed to throw something. Break something. Hear something shatter. Her hand snatched the lamp off the table beside the futon she slept on and she reared the appendage above her head. Just before she released her grip and the lamp was fragmented on the floor, she paused, thinking of Anko in the other room. She was prone to exploding in anger at the slightest disturbance, and Katana had no wish to be thrown out when she had nowhere else to go.

Setting the lamp back down on the table, she chose to punch one of the pillows instead. It was no better off than the lamp would have been. The seams split with the impact of her fist and the room was filled with feathers. Katana stood shaking for a moment among the down as it slowly drifted to the floor, breathing hard. Her thoughts were racing, images from her fight flashing behind her eyelids whenever she blinked. Gritting her teeth, Katana sat heavily down on the futon, burying her head in her hands.

_Why? _she thought. _Why did I let him go? I should have taken my revenge right then and there! Am I still too soft? Do I still not have a heart cold enough to take the life of someone who has done me wrong? But, then again, Neji hasn't done me any wrong, just his clan. Just-_

A knock on the door ripped Katana from her thoughts. Anko stuck her head in the doorway without being invited in, as usual. "Katana, are- Hey, what's with all the feathers?" She looked around the room at the fluffy white objects still drifting around the room.

"Sorry, Anko," Katana said quietly, turning her head away. "I just met up with someone and I needed to dispel some anger."

Anko looked alarmed at the younger kunoichi's words. "Met up with someone? Who was it? Was it someone from your family?"

Katana swung her head. "No, it was… someone else. Someone I had hoped I wouldn't have to deal with again."

"What did you do? Is this said someone still alive?"

"Yes," Katana responded, curling her fingers into fists. "He's still alive, but I wish he was dead. I should have killed him."

"Jeez, what makes you want to kill him? Did he grab your butt or something?" Anko came and sat down next to Katana on the futon and nudged her shoulder with a smirk.

Katana almost laughed. "No he didn't. He reminded me of the reason I was sent on that mission to be out of the Village for so long; you know what I'm talking about. I just sparred with him and it ended in a draw."

"Wow, he must be really good to fight you to a stand still. Who is he?" Anko had an expression of surprise on her face, knowing Katana was not an average kunoichi. It would take nothing less than a chunin to be able to touch her.

"He was a Hyuuga. Neji, that was what he said his name was."

"Oh! That explains it." Anko nodded with a grin. "Of course you had a draw with Neji Hyuuga. He's been called the protégé of the Hyuuga Clan since he was in the Academy. That's actually quite an achievement to fight that well against him. He's the first in his year to become a jounin."

"He's a jounin?" Katana exclaimed with shock. "Are you sure? He wasn't wearing a vest or anything special."

"Of course I'm sure," Anko said in a supercilious tone. "Why? Jealous?"

Katana glared at Anko and rose to her feet. "I'm not jealous." She turned her back and walked out of the room. "I need to get some fresh air. I'll buy you a new pillow while I'm at it." Katana walked out of the apartment before Anko could move or question her.

* * *

Katana felt the breeze run through her hair and she swiftly restrained the few strands that had escaped her bun. She strolled down one of the busy main streets, fighting and struggling against the crowd. Finally getting into an open area, she leaped onto a nearby roof and traveled the rest of the way above the clots of people. Her destination was the Hokage Mountain and she scaled the rocky sides with chakra on her feet.

She came to a stop on the scaffolding constructed below the huge carved stone faces, leaning against the narrow railing and looking out over the village. It reminded her of an anthill, all the small figures bustling about involved in their duties and missions. They all had their niches and place in the village and Katana was feeling more and more excluded as she watched the orderly chaos below.

After returning to the village for a week after being gone for four years, Katana felt that her niche had been filled and she was no longer needed. The village had a way of compensating for anything that was lost. Just as Lady Tsunade had replaced the Sandaime, Katana was sure some other kunoichi had taken her position when it had been vacated. There seemed to be no place were she belonged.

And no one seemed to miss her. She hadn't bothered to reunite with her genin team; they would only be annoyed to see her. She had never formed any special bond with the others; they had always hated being around her cold and serious demeanor. They had always been too immature and foolish for her tastes anyway.

But the pain of never having someone her age to talk to still lingered. She hadn't known anything different as a child, but now things were different. Bonds were something she wasn't familiar with, something she thought could never be real. And if it were, it wouldn't happen to her. She had grown up alone with no one to actually talk to besides her family, but they were no help. The only remedy they suggested to cure loneliness was training. All that time in seclusion had weakened Katana's social skills, leaving her to deal and fight through the pain of isolation. For so long she had wanted to feel what it was like to form a bond and be relieved of that pain and feel like she was wanted for once in her life. But she had made the conclusion that it wasn't the way she was meant to be, and thus gave up on her hopes.

Shaking her head and sighing quietly, Katana let the wind blow against her scarred face, it thickly laced with the scents of the Village. But it also carried different odors, one being an aroma imprinted into her senses with hate and malice. Peacefulness shattered, Katana searched wildly around to get a hint as to where the scent was coming from. The wind was hindering her tracking abilities and she speculated it was intentional; the same way a predator will hide downwind from its prey, her predator was concealed in the same fashion. She had only a moment's notice before a figure leaped out at her from behind the Shodaime's ear.  
Cursing that she didn't have her swords, Katana sprung away from her attacker, her gaze hard and threatening. The other stood to their full height, several inches taller than the kuniochi, and turned to face her. Blood running cold, Katana drew a kunai from her leg holster that she always carried and readied her stance. The figure let out a humorless chuckle, planting a hand on its hip.

"Is this the greeting I get after all these years, Katana?" the other said mockingly. "I know you never were the kind and social type, but I'm your cousin for Kami's sake."

Katana curled her upper lip into a snarl, angered that he would dare call them family. She had once considered Kuragari, the man before her, to be her cousin, but that time had long since passed. He had contributed to the reason she had left.

He locked her expression with a sardonic smile, chuckling again. "Aww, what's that look for, 'Tana? Still haven't gotten over that old grudge? It wasn't my fault, you know, so don't kill the messenger."

"As if that's going to save your hide!" Katana yelled. "I don't care whose fault or idea it was, but you all deserve to pay! So either back off or leave here battered to a pulp as an example of what I'll do to the others when I meet them."

"Still talking big, are we?" Kuragari questioned unabashed. "I want to see if being out of the Village for four years has done anything to your thick skull. If it has, congrats. And if not, I'll make up for those lost years here and now. Bring it on, 'Tana! Let's see if you can put some meaning behind those words!"

Anger from his comments and nickname making her blood boil, Katana altered her grip on her kunai and leaped forward. Kuragari lifted his arm as she neared, his long sleeve slipping down to reveal a metal bracer. He deflected her kunai and aimed a kick at her face. Ducking under his leg as it swung, Katana elbowed the back of her cousin's knee, sending him crashing to the ground next to her. She rose above him, inches away from driving her kunai into his neck when he made a single hand seal.

"Fuuton!" He yelled and a gust of wind threw Katana into the air. Quickly recovering, she extended her feet and stuck them to the rocky side of the mountain against the Yondaime's nose. She saw Kuragari run up the mountain after her and she fled to the top of the mountain. Arriving on level ground, she skidded to a halt and dove backwards just as her opponent leaped up from the side perpendicular to the ground. He soared over her and looked down in shock at the sight of Katana airborne beneath him. She thrust her kunai upward, catching him on the thigh and leaving a deep gash. He let out a cry and rolled to the ground, Katana back flipping to keep her balance, landing as gracefully as possible in a crouching position.

She surveyed her cousin as he lay groaning on the ground, narrowing her eyes and smirking. She felt a trickle of sweat run down the side of her face as the heat became apparent when she stopped moving. Rising to her feet, Katana watched Kuragari struggle to his feet, staggering and limping with each step he took on his injured leg. He faced her, fury contorting his features and breath hissing from between his teeth.

Katana could say that she almost felt sorry for him. She had grown up with Kuragari; he was only three years older than her and was almost a brother. They had been trained together, but he had never been as strong as her, only ranked as a chunin. He had never been able to meet their clan's expectations, and as a result, wasn't treated with the respect he should have deserved. And being together for so many years had formed a connection between to two, and it was by this connection that the cousins both leaped into the air at each other at the exact same time.

They collided, throwing punches and kicks, swearing and screaming, biting and scratching. When they finally crashed to the ground in a tangled heap of swinging limbs, Katana's kunai struck flesh. Kuragari yelped like a kicked dog and used another Fuuton to separate himself from Katana. She landed several meters away with a thud, the wind knocked out of her lungs. Sitting up she saw Kuragami kneeling on the ground doubled over with her kunai lodged in his stomach. Several bruises were blossoming on the surface of his skin and two fingers on his left hand were bent at odd angles, obviously broken.

"I warned you," Katana growled as he raised his head. His face showed pure anger, teeth barred, brow scrunched, and eyes burning. But the expression meant nothing to Katana.

"You little-" he was cut off as blood spurted from his mouth and splattered onto the ground. Coughing to regain his breath, Katana turned to leave. "Don't turn your back on me, Katana! I'm not finished with you!" He rose to his feet and charged at his cousin. Katana responded by rocking her weight to her left leg and back kicking Kuragami, driving her heel into his chest. He gave a choked shriek and collapsed to the ground.

"Sorry to say, but you are finished," Katana said haughtily as she stood over him. "Did you honestly think you could beat me? You couldn't before and you can't now. I'm sorry it had to come to this, but I don't easily forget grudges and I like revenge better than forgiveness. It's just the way I have been trained to think." Without a backward glance, Katana turned and leaped into the air, running down Hokage Mountain to the scaffolding and descending the rest of the way in a civilized manner.

* * *

Author Note: Chapter two, yay! Sorry for the slow update. I had writers block and midterms... enough said. Anyway, this chapter is a bit more dismal on Katana's part. I just wanted her to seem not superhuman: although she's killer strong, she has no social life and is practically trained to be a machine. Yeah, I have a sick mind. Oh well. And to clear any confusion, Katana's family is the Suterusu Clan, my own invention. Things will be explained later. And Kuragari is a way to say darkness in Japanese. I don't own anything accept the members of the Suterusu Clan because they are my own invention. So until next time, peace out.

-cagedbird361


	4. Chapter 3: Count Your Last Blessings

Chapter 3: Count Your Last Blessings

"What the heck happened to you?"

Katana winced at Anko's loud voice, not wanting to answer questions so early in the morning. Her body ached and her head throbbed; she had taken more hits than she though she had. After her encounter with Kuragami the previous day, Katana had returned to Anko's apartment to find her on a mission. She had been alone to heal the few bumps and bruises she had received, but unseen injuries had surfaced that morning.

"I got into a scuffle with one of my family members; nothing more and nothing less," Katana replied quietly, stumbling into the other chair at the table in the small kitchen. She sat down heavily and winced as she struck a bruise on her side against the back of the chair. "I won our little dispute and I don't think he's be moving for a few days. But it seems he left his fair share of marks on me as well."

"Geez, and I thought Naruto was the only one who got into fights for no reason," Anko mumbled, Katana throwing her a fierce glare. "You shouldn't fight people of the Village; others may get the wrong idea. Things have changed since you left and you can't destroy someone in combat training without getting punished the way you used to. It stinks when you really want to pummel somebody, but rules are rules and I would personally want to deal with my anger inside than meet one of Lady Tsunade's fists face to knuckles."

Katana allowed a smirk to creep over her lips and she bowed her head, secretly thankful that Anko was as lively as she was. If the special jounin had been anything other than whom she was, Katana knew things wouldn't have turned out the way they had. She stiffly rose to her feet and retrieved her swords from her room, strapping the armor-like sheath apparatus to her back.

"I hope you're not going to train," Anko said as Katana was about to walk out the door. "You need some rest with the condition you're in."

"I'm not training. I forgot to get you a pillow yesterday, so I'm going to do that. I'm just taking the swords so I can properly defend myself if I'm confronted again." Running out the door, before Anko could process the lie, Katana had jumped to a rooftop and made her way to a training field.

* * *

Neji was just about to fall into his Jyuuken stance when a kunai streaked past his ear, so close he could feel the wind against his skin. Glancing up into the trees from where the weapon had come from, he saw Katana crouched among the branches. She was glaring at him fiercely and the knuckles of the hand that held one of her swords were white.

"Still here, are we?" she called down almost mockingly. She jumped from the foliage and landed adjacent to the Hyuuga. She looked as if she had been in a fight, several bruises and cuts visible. "I was hoping to train in peace and not have to fight for a training ground again. Although it was a good challenge, I really don't want to go through with it."

Neji frowned and glared at her. "I have no interest in fighting you. Go find your own training field where you won't bother anyone. Not everyone wants company while they're trying to develop new jutsu."

"Is that so?" Katana asked with false curiosity. She cocked her head and raised her sword arm, the point of the blade directed between Neji's eyes. "Well, I personally enjoy practicing my techniques on a living creature, instead of a rock or something. It's much easier to see the effects if your opponent can react to your attacks, so why not try them on me?"

_What is she getting at? _Neji thought in confusion. _She wants me to fight her again, but also use jutsu? I don't understand. From our pervious spar, she knows I use Jyuuken; so fighting can't be to cull information. Refusing her challenge will only cause her to mock me, but I don't like that look in her eyes… But it seems it can't be avoided._

"Fine, I accept your challenge," Neji said coldly, matching her glare with one of his own.

"Good," Katana growled, lowering her sword and taking a few steps back.

Neji lowered into his Jyuuken stance and narrowed his eyes, taking into account every move his opponent made. She fell into a stance herself, holding her sword at her side. Her eyes flickered and she rushed forward, giving Neji seconds to activate his Byakugan. He drew a kunai and parried her sword as it swung for his neck, the metal weapons hitting each other with a jarring force.

Katana aimed her fist at an opening in Neji's chest, but he caught her hand with his own, letting out a resounding smack. Katana dropped and swung her leg in a circle, Neji jumping into the air to avoid the sweep. He leaped backward to create some space, but Katana was after him without pausing. She swung her sword, yet rolled her wrists at the last moment, changing the angle. Locking the sword with his kunai only inches from his skin, Katana kept her momentum moving and slid into him.

Neji stumbled backwards in surprise as Katana nearly crashed into him, her sword sliding off of his kunai. She punched at his jaw, narrowly missing, and Neji pushed away from her. Leaping into the trees to create distance, he saw her stay on the ground, staring up at him with an icy glare. The Hyuuga was fed up with defense and decided to take his turn on offense. Focusing his chakra to his hands, Neji sprung from the trees, Byakugan seeing Katana's chakra flow to her feet.

Katana leaped to the side and Neji landed on the ground in the place she had been. He pursued her, getting in range too swiftly for her to retreat. Her cold expression changed momentarily as Neji's open palm drove towards her and she bent over backwards in a last effort for evasion. She kicked her legs over, Neji feeling her shoes brush his chin, and she quickly righted herself. Yet she was slightly off balance and Neji took her disadvantage and struck again. She grabbed his wrist as his palm came closer, using his limb to catch her balance and advert his intended blow.

Then she pulled his arm and spun into him, ramming her other elbow into Neji's ribs. He shifted his arm in her grasp, pulling her limb and twisting it behind her back. Katana felt her blood run cold as she felt the cold metal of Neji's kunai against her throat. Neji let a faint smirk crack across his face, but Katana suddenly disappeared from his grip. Caught off guard, Neji searched the area with his Byakugan, catching sight of a ring of kunai closing in from all directions. Katana was right behind one row, leaping at him with a cold smile.

Out of time to think and not sure if there were any kunai in his blind spot, Neji scraped his feet across the ground and built up his chakra. "Hakkeshou: Kaiten!" he yelled, executing the jutsu. His rotation repelled the kunai and Katana couldn't stop herself in midair. She fell into the swirling chakra, instantly getting thrown back across the clearing. Neji slowed his movement, eventually coming to a halt and looking at Katana crumpled on the ground. Remaining on guard, Neji took several steps forward until a low, humorless laugh rose from her throat.

Katana rose to her feet slowly, the tie falling from her hair. It trailed to her elbows and hung over one side of her face, giving her a dark and malicious appearance. The corners of her mouth lifted and she raised her sword. Her eyes glinted and narrowed and she took an attack stance.

"Now I'm free to use any jutsu I want," she hissed. "You were the first to initiate a jutsu so you can't blame me for attacking without reason. Now the true battle begins." _I can finally accomplish my dream. I can finally use all the techniques I've learned in my past to secure my future. There's no excuse for not finishing the battle this time. _

Katana buried her sword into the ground at her side and began weaving hand seals. Neji recognized the pattern for a Katon and prepared himself for whatever fire would arise. "Katon! Housenka no Jutsu: Art of the Phoenix Flower!" Katana yelled, inhaling deeply. There was a flash of metal and she exhaled, large balls of fire bursting from her mouth.

Neji recalled seeing the same jutsu come from Sasuke during the first chunin exam he took, but the fireballs were much larger than his had been. Narrowing his eyes, Neji saw Fuuma Clan-sized shuriken concealed by the flames. Neji focused his chakra and reared his hand back.

"Hakke: Kuushou!" Neji yelled, thrusting his palm forward. An enormous gale of wind burst from his palm, consuming the fire, the flames not great enough to withstand the chakra-enlaced air. The jutsus canceled each other out and the shuriken fell to the ground, useless.

Katana growled and made a single hand seal that was all too familiar to Neji. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu: Art of the Shadow Doppelganger!" With a burst of smoke, a clone appeared next to Katana as she removed her sword from the ground. She drew another from her back-plate and her clone drew two of the ones it carried. Neji furrowed his brow again, knowing the jutsu was a jounin level technique. He had thought only Naruto was able to stably perform it with the true flesh and blood clones.

Katana and her clone ran forward come from both sides, swords poised to attack in any fashion. Neji drew two kunai and blocked one pair of the swords aimed at his side. The other Katana came at him from behind, and he kicked the one he was locked with in the stomach and turned to the one attacking. He felt one sword skim over his shoulder before he was able to knock it aside and address its twin. Seeing the one he had kicked come at him again, Neji was forced to use his rotation.

His two opponents crashed to the ground, but one was instantly on its feet again, rushed with swords raised. Neji reacted instinctually, dodging the swords and thrusting his palm into Katana's stomach. She gave a choked gasp, composure melting into horror as Neji's chakra flooded her system, but before he could truly analyze the expression, she disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The real Katana winced on the ground, getting the clone's sense of the Hyuuga's attack as it vanished. She crouched on her knees, weaving hand seals. Neji didn't recognize the pattern, but knew it would be nothing close to trivial. Katana finished with sign of the Snake, and her face contorted into a snarl. Her glare became steely and she sneered at Neji with contempt.

"Doton! Retsudo Tenshou: Revolving Split Earth Palm!" Katana yelled, raising her hand above her head, the fingers spread wide. She slammed her palm into the ground in front of her knees, the ground shuddering and cracking like ice. The cracks spread and began moving toward a common point: Neji.

Neji took several steps back in shock as the earth around his feet began to fissure. _Doton? How is it possible? She used Katon before, so how-? It is possible to have two chakra natures, but to have both developed to use such high caliber jutsu of both types-_

Neji leaped into the trees as the fissures began to widen and the earth started to crawl over his feet. Katana gritted her teeth and forced more chakra into the jutsu. The earth split around the tree, uprooting it and causing it to topple over. Neji leaped away and landed on the ground, seeing it was actually safer on the ground. He was about to jump away again but his feet held fast. He looked down and saw his feet were covered and held in earth that was crawling up his leg. The soil was saturated in chakra and he looked up at Katana.

She had a wickedly dark grin on her face, her hair shadowing one side of her face again. The earth stopped rising at Neji"s forearms, binding his hands as well, and Katana removed her hand from the ground. She sheathed one of her swords and rose to her feet, slowly approaching while twisting her other sword around her wrist. She smiled coldly lifted her sword, placing it under his chin.

"It seems like I win this round, Hyuuga," she growled, turning her blade so that the edge was against his throat. "Such a shame you couldn't develop that jutsu you wanted to. I have many regrets in my life, but this will not be one of them. Wouldn't you say this is the perfect tragedy?"

_What is she doing? _Neji thought in horror, mind spinning. _She speaks as if she is going to kill me! What is this about? Why is she doing this?_ Neji glared at her and began to circulate his chakra, thinking back to his fight with the Otogakure shinobi Kidoumaru. He closed his eyes and exhaled.

Katana turned her hand slightly and a menacing smirk grew across her face, seeing his actions as a sign of defeat. She was a second away from pulling her arm and slitting the Hyuuga's throat open when he threw his eyes open and the earth holding him shattered. Katana took a step back in surprise and Neji thrust his kunai forward. And Katana lifted her sword again.

Each froze as they felt metal touch their necks. The result was the same as before: another draw.

"Damn you," Katana hissed, her face dissolving in anger. She glanced to the sky and noticed a bird flying above the training ground. The pattern on its wings signified it was a messenger bird, one sent by the Hokage. "I'll finish this one day, but now I must complete another duty." Katana sheathed her sword and leaped into the trees. "Don't lower your guard, Hyuuga. This isn't over. For the next time we meet, you'd better count your last blessings."

* * *

Katana stood outside the Hokage's Office, trying to get her lost composure back. Her thoughts raced and her anger seethed and she struggled to put it aside to look presentable for the Hokage. She combed her fingers through her hair and brushed dirt off of her clothes and hands. She had come so close to getting her revenge, yet something held her back again. Every time, it seemed all the training she had done as a child was wasted and all the promise she had shown had been for nothing.

Pushing the thoughts out of her head, she focused on the task at hand. She knocked on the door and a voice told her to enter. She obeyed and stood in front of Lady Tsunade, respectfully inclining her head.

"That took some time," the Hokage stated with annoyance. "What happened to you?" Tsunade looked her up and down, her appearance rather corse for an audience with the village leader.

"I was just… training," Katana muttered, aware of the cuts and bruises visible on her skin. "But I'm here now and I'm ready to hear your orders."

"Alright then. Down to business." Tsunade looked to one of the many piles on her desk and retrieved a piece of paper. "I'm going to give you your first mission since you returned from the village. There is a rebel group not far outside the Village that has been harassing some of our shinobi. They reside in a stronghold but none of the rebels should have any jutsu; they seem to be untrained as a shinobi. I want you to lead a team of three others and drive these rebels out. The less casualties the better, but attack in whatever way you seem fit. Now is there any type of person you would request on your team?"

Katana thought for a minute before responding. "Someone with long range and an assortment of attacks would be useful; someone good at setting and detecting traps. Someone with good taijutsu would be useful as well, someone who has no fear of leaping into a swarm of enemies. And someone with good eyesight. That would be the most efficient team for a mission like this."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow and thought for a moment. "Hmm. With that description I think I have the perfect team for you. I will inform them and you can meet and leave tomorrow. Until them, prepare in anyway you see fit. You are dismissed."

* * *

Author Note: Another chapter, woo-hoo. I had a snow day and have nothing better to do than watch movies and write. This chapter is the product of boredom and me neglecting to acknowledge my studies. Oh well. I wanted to put more to this fight scene, but for everything to work out and for it to be a reasonable length, I had to shorten it. Yes, I know this is dark, and many people may not like the way Katana is acting, but things shall change, so I would appreciate if everyone reading will bear with me. The next chapters will get into the actual meat and potatoes of this fic, something I've been waiting for since I started it. I don't own any Naruto character. And this takes place in Shippuden when Team Gai is apparently non-existant after rescuing Gaara. Well, I hope you enjoyed it, so until next time, peace out.

-cagedbird361


	5. Chapter 4: Haunted

Chapter 4: Haunted

The morning brought more aches and pains and Katana hoped she would be in suitable condition for her mission. But the few cuts and bruises were easy to heal with a simple medical ninjutsu, something she had learned while away from the Village. Katana was not gifted with healing abilities, only able to learn the most basic level. But it served its purpose on minuscule wounds and had gotten the kunoichi out of several tight situations. Yet it drained chakra just as greedily as any medical ninjutsu and left Katana drained and trembling.

"I swear, if you continue this behavior, you'll kill yourself," Anko pointed out in an angry voice. "If you don't stop training and overexerting yourself as you are, I shall personally bind you in a genjutsu and put you in a cushioned room for the rest of your life!"

The threat made Katana almost chuckle. "But you have hardly any genjutsu talents, Anko. How do you expect to accomplish your threat if you have no power to back it up?"

"Don't start talking like a Hyuuga," Anko grumbled in an exasperated voice, rolling her eyes and sighing heavily. She didn't notice Katana stiffen or her eyes widen. "They always speak in riddles and mock other people like they rule the world. Just another one of their behavioral traits that makes people think they have sticks up their-"

"Never mind the Hyuugas," Katana cut across, already knowing the end of the sentence. "I don't want to talk about them."

Anko looked at Katana and saw her staring at the floor, eyes shadowed with anger and something that resembled shame. Anko then remembered the incident that Katana had with the Hyuugas and understood the impact that her words had. She bit her tongue and she saw Katana's jaw clench as the younger kunoichi continued to think over the words in her mind. Katana had a nasty habit of dwelling on a certain subject and never let things of the past leave her. Anko searched for another topic to pull Katana from her thoughts.

"Do you have any missions soon?"

Katana looked up and blinked, her mind seeming to return after being in another world. "I do actually. I was briefed on one yesterday and I'm to meet my team today. We have to eradicate a rebel group that has settled not far outside the Village."

"Aww, my little Katana is all grown up and leading her own team. How sweet. I remember when you could hardly perform a stable Katon and got destroyed during the Chunin Exams. Now look at you: a sixteen-year-old jounin leading a team and fighting off rebels. I could cry… oh, who am I kidding. Anyway, good luck on your mission. I have to go somewhere so I'll see you when you get back. Have fun and don't die!"

Anko promptly packed up her needed materials and walked out the door, leaving Katana to collect her swords and head to a training field before the Hokage called her to meet her team.

The air was still among the trees, only the occasional chatter of a squirrel or the chirp of an insect disrupted the silence. Katana didn't want to make any noise and settled down on the grass, sitting cross-legged and simply drank in the early morning sun and the rich aroma of the foliage.

A bird fluttered in a nearby branch, its bright feathers flashing brilliantly in the sunrays, the red contrasting brightly against the green leafy canopy. It twittered pleasantly and another joined it, hopping next to it on the branch. A squirrel scampered through the leaves, fearless of falling and sat alert on a rather thin branch. The limb sagged under the small animal's weight but didn't break. Katana smirked at the animals, careless as they were unintelligent and had nothing better in life to do than sit in trees and worry about survival. But the birds abruptly fell silent and the squirrel ran back to the tree trunk. The birds took to the air hastily and Katana reached for a sword.

Something had spooked the animals and it wasn't to be taken lightly. Several kunai and shuriken whizzed through the air and Katana jumped out of the way, grateful for the animals' warning. She drew a sword and faced the direction the projectiles had come from, only to hear something behind her. She turned and had just enough time to move away from another round of sharp weapons headed in her direction. Katana looked around wildly, searching for some telltale sign as to where her attacker was. Another round of projectiles were thrown in her direction from the right.

_Are there multiple attackers?_ Katana thought frantically. _Where are these kunai coming from? Or can it be…?_ Leaping behind a tree, Katana made a single hand seal, her fingers interlocked. "Kai: Release!"

The world around her warped and twisted, then quickly returned to normal. There was a shout of surprise and a thump as someone fell from a nearby tree onto the ground. Katana turned to the crumpled figure on the ground, hearing him groan as he slowly unpeeled himself from the dirt. They locked eyes and he gave a strained chuckle, rising to his feet awkwardly and brushing himself off.

"Hey there, cuz," he said in an out of breath voice. "What's happening? You've gotten stronger, I can see."

"Genkaku Suterusu," Katana voiced monotonously. She hadn't seen the boy in at least eight years after he had been designated to another area of the Suterusu clan house to hone his promising skills in genjutsu. He had dark circles under his brown eyes and his sandy brown hair hung lank around his pale face, signs that he hardly saw daylight as he was almost always training. His physique was thin; he had no need to build up his physical strength when he could lure people to practically hold hands with death by using his jutsu.

"Listen, I'm really sorry to do this, 'Tana," he said meekly, making Katana bristle at the nickname. But she couldn't be entirely angry with him; he had never had the cold heart of a shinobi and would have preferred to live his life as a virtuous citizen. "I would disobey the orders I was given, but after Kuragari got so beat up, our dispatcher was really pissed off. I really don't want to snack on one of his knuckle sandwiches or get caught by one of his jutsus."

"Dispatcher? Why won't you say his name? It has to be someone in the family, so who is it?" Katana took several steps up to Genkaku, holding her sword at her side in a non-offensive position. He looked at her nervously, taking a few steps back, knowing he would get crushed in any physical competition.

"I wish I could tell you, but I was sworn to secrecy," Genkaku murmured, casting his gaze downward. He then looked up with a stern glare and renewed confidence. "This matter isn't to be taken lightly. My orders were to harm you in any way I could, but I have to bring you in alive. I really don't want to, but I've learned to value my life over my virtues. I have to do this, 'Tana. I'm sorry."

"This isn't like you, Genkaku," Katana said with a slight shake of her head. "You would never do this to someone, especially me. Don't you remember what it was like when we were kids? Don't you remember what-?"

"Things have changed in eight years," Genkaku cut her off, shaking his head viciously. "I was conditioned to be more like a shinobi should be, and I can't change my mind. You know how cruel our clan's methods are, and I would rather be something I'm not than get punished. You of all people should know…"

Katana gritted her teeth and her face contorted into a snarl. She lifted her sword and fell into a stance, Genkaku jumping in surprise and taking several stumbling steps backwards. "Wake up, will you!" Katana yelled, startling her cousin with her tone. "Are you actually saying you've given yourself up? Have the others of our clan bent your will enough to make you their puppet? You used to be so resilient; you were your own person and would never let anything mold you. Now what? What happened, Genkaku? They tried to change _me_, but I fought back and didn't give in. And I thought you were the one who had the defiance. I didn't know you were actually so weak."

It hit a nerve. Anger blossomed over Genkaku's face and he began weaving hand seals. "Weak? WEAK? I'll show you weak! This is what 'weakness' has done to me!" Katana tried to follow his seals, but he moved too fast and the world around her was engulfed in blackness. "Let's see how you fare in my 'weak' genjutsu."

Genkaku's voice echoed in the darkness, slowly fading until she was left alone in the world of nothingness. There was utter silence, not even the air vibrated against her eardrums, and it made no difference if her eyes were open or closed. She looked around, wondering what was to come next. She looked back forward and saw Genkaku materialize against the ebony background. He had a malicious glare on his face, holding a kunai in his hand. It was then she felt two arms snake around her shoulders and clamped her into a tight lock. She looked around at her captor and she could feel the blood drain from her face.

"Cruel, aren't I?" Genkaku said quietly, his voice echoing and reverberating against the darkness. Katana was being immobilized by the arms of a Hyuuga, the same Hyuuga that had made her leave the Village four years ago. She felt her airways constrict, not because of his arms around her, but because of the look on his face. It was a look of sly seduction and it repulsed her as much as it enticed her. Katana tore her eyes away and stared at Genkaku. He gave a crow of mocking laughter at the expression of alarm on Katana's face.

"Genkaku, don't do this," Katana pleaded, her memories causing her to act out of her usually stoic and cold nature. The Hyuuga holding her chuckled softly and Katana shuddered as his breath passed over her ear.

"Sorry, but I have to carry out my orders," he said without any hint of guilt. "I would be able to end this right now if I wanted, you know. But taking people alive is such a broad and annoying topic, you can stretch the rules in any way you want. So, because you so foolishly mocked me, I think I'll have a little payback."

"That sounds fun," the Hyuuga whispered, Katana becoming immobile as flashbacks taunted her whenever she closed her eyes, even so slightly as blinking. Genkaku raised his hand, holding the kunai so the point was directed at Katana's face.

"You know, the most embarrassing and the worst way to die is to have your own specialty jutsu or weapon used against you." Genkaku took several steps foreward as he spoke, now close enough to reach out and cut the back of Katana's hand with his kunai. She made no sound as the edge split her skin, but she dropped the sword she held and heard it clatters loudly against the ebony ground. "Let's see how you like getting shredded to pieces by one of your own swords. And don't worry; I won't decorate you so bad. Your best friends will still recognize you, but all others won't." He laughed at his own joke.

Genkaku picked up the sword and the Hyuuga tightened his grip, laughing mockingly. Katana grew pale and her eyes widened as the sword neared her skin. Genkaku slowly pressed the sword edge into her forearm then, as if moving through molasses, pulled the blade across her flesh. Katana winced as he slowly carved gashes into her body, moving as sluggishly as possible, causing as much pain as he could.

All the while the Hyuuga was chuckling into her ear, occasionally whispering and sending an icy chill down the kunoichi's back. Katana closed here eyes and attempted to stop the chakra flow to her brain to end the genjutsu. But Genkaku jabbed her with the sword and broke her concentration, her efforts proving futile. Her cousin then made another hand seal and the Hyuuga roughly pulled Katana to the ground. She let out an uncharacteristic scream and reverted to her primordial instincts. She writhed and fought, all the while trying to get a grip on one of her swords. But there was no use in fighting illusions, and Genkaku took control with only a few hand seals.

But as the darkness leaped from the ground and coiled around Katana's wrists and ankle, restraining her to the floor, a smirk spread across her face. Genkaku's lip curled into a snarl and he demanded to know what the amusement was for. Katana didn't answer, only gave a mocking grin and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Genkaku's face drained of color and he looked wildly around, searching for any place his cousin could have been lurking. He faced away from where he had initiated the genjutsu and took one of Katana's heels to his jaw. Giving a clipped cry, the genjutsu user stumbled to the ground, tasting blood coating his tongue. He looked up in horror, crossing his eyes to see one of Katana's swords pointed at his nose. She had a look of pure fury on her features and she was practically shaking with anger.

"You filthy son of a bitch!" she snarled, clutching one of her hands into a fist so tight, Genkaku thought the skin might have split across her knuckles. She swiped her sword, giving her cousin a nasty gash over his nose and cheek then smashed her fist into the side of his head. Genkaku whimpered and curled into a frightened heap.

"How- how did you escape?" he stammered in a squeak. "No one's ever broken from a genjutsu as high ranking as that before."

"If you didn't notice, you were tormenting a doppelganger," Katana growled, grabbing Genkaku by the neckline of his shirt and pulled him closer to her face. "Yet when it was dispelled, I got every image it saw, and right now, I'm not happy. Not happy at all!"

Katana bodily lifted Genkaku off the ground and buried her fist into his stomach, hearing him let out a gurgling noise of pain. She slashed her sword across his back, seeing blood gush out onto his shirt. Katana threw him to the ground, hearing him cry out as he landed on his wound and his eyes went wide with fear. She lifted her sword and prepared to strike a deathblow against his chest.

"Wait! 'Tana, please don't! Katana! Please! I don't want to die!" Genkaku howled like a small child and Katana was filled with repulsion at how he had acted so differently in the span of their encounter. He was apologetic and meek at first, then furious, cruel, and mocking, and now he was weak and defenseless. And, by the saying that people show their true colors when they are about to die, Genkaku was a cowardly foolish dog. Katana was far too overcome with rage to care that he was her family or that it had been the Clan Elders who had made him become this way. She threw the sword onto him, crushing Genkaku's chest in one smooth blow.

He didn't even make a noise and his breast was split in two. His head fell backwards and his eyes closed slowly, his alarmed and terrified expression melting into peaceful contentment. Katana was still breathing heavily and pulled her sword from her cousin's chest, wiping it on the grass to remove the blood and gore. She heard a shriek come from the sky and looked up, seeing a bird with familiar patterns on its wings. Her team was ready.

Katana took one final look at Genkaku and almost felt sorry. "It's better off this way," she murmured. "At least you won't get punished by the family now and there will always be a place for you in the afterlife. Farewell, my cousin." With that, Katana leaped into the trees towards the Hokage's Mansion with a bitter taste in her mouth.

* * *

"That's your mission," Tsunade said with finalization to the team that stood before her. The three shinobi nodded, showing that they understood.

"So when do we leave?" Tenten asked as she pulled her gloves more securely onto her hands.

"Whenever your team leader says so," Tsunade replied, handing Sakura a stack of papers and sending the pink-haired kunoichi out of the room to file them.

"Okay, so when are we leaving, Neji?" Tenten asked, turning to the Hyuuga. He was about to respond when Tsunade gave a chuckle.

"No, Neji isn't your team leader for this mission," the Hokage said with a hint of amusement.

"Not team leader?" Tenten echoed in astonishment. "But Neji always leads our missions if Guy sensei isn't here. And you said he was on an important mission and wouldn't be back for a month."

"Exactly. I've chosen a different team leader for you this time. Or rather, she requested people with your talents to be on her team for this mission."

"She? Who is this new team leader you speak of?" Lee questioned with interest. "Do we know her, or is she new?" There was a knock on the door and Team Guy turned their heads to look back simultaneously.

"It seems you're about to find out," Tsunade answered. "Enter!"

_A different person besides me is going to be team leader? _Neji thought in confusion, but kept his face stoic. _And a female too? The Hokage would never make such a foolish decision. What is she thinking? Who ever this new leader is, I absolutely refuse to address her as 'taichou'._

_A female leader!_ Lee thought with elation. _I can't wait to prove myself to Guy sensei!_ But he couldn't deny the sense of uneasiness breeding in his chest. Team Guy worked well by itself and there was a large chance that this female would throw a wrench in the works.

_This is going to be weird,_ Tenten thought as the door began to open. _But who knows, I may make a new friend. Maybe she's good with weapons._

The door opened and Neji felt his fair skin turn even paler. The kunoichi walked up to the desk and apologized for taking so long. She didn't even glance at the three others in the room. Tsunade then took the liberty of introducing their leader.

"I would like you to meet Katana Suterusu. She's going to be your leader for this mission."

Katana turned and looked at them each in turn. She gave Lee and Tenten subtle glances, but froze when she lock eyes with Neji. She stood speechless for a moment, but it was Neji who broke the silence.

"_You_ are going to be our team leader?" he said with incredulous shock.

Katana just stared at him for a moment more, oblivious to the exchange of confused looks between Tsunade, Tenten, and Lee. Then her silence was shattered and Katana spoke to her team for the first time.

"What the hell?" she blurted, staring at Neji's white eyes and ignoring the other two.

_Oh great,_ Tsunade thought as an argument began to erupt between the Suterusu and the Hyuuga. _This is going to be a long mission._

* * *

Author Note: Another chapter, woo hoo. I know it was a little dark, and I said the mission was coming, but I promise it will be next chapter! Don't hate me! If you recall I said I was getting to the meat and potatoes, well this chapter is like the gravy you put on the potatoes to make it taste better, meaning it was used to make the upcoming parts better. Oh, my terrible skills at metaphors XD. And I promise there won't be a fight next chapter, as there has been one in every chapter besides the prologue. And everyone is probably wondering about the Hyuuga in the genjutsu. All will be revealed in time, so please bear with me :-). And Genkaku is a way to say illusion if anyone wanted to know. And just so everyone is aware, the rating may go up because we will soon discover that Katana has quite a potty mouth when it comes to being annoyed and ticked off (LOL). I only own the Suterusu Clan, nothing else. So until next time, R&R plz =D. Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	6. Chapter 5: From the Inside

Chapter 5: From the Inside

"No way. No way! Lady Hokage, this isn't going to work. I simply can't be on a team with a Hyuuga."

Tsunade stared at Katana, a crinkle appearing in her forehead. The young female jounin had been ranting since the moment she realized Neji was on her squad. "Listen to me for a moment, Katana. You requested someone with good eyesight, didn't you? Any Hyuuga is the obvious choice. Neji happens to be a particularly gifted Hyuuga, and the others meet your other requests. You got what you asked for, so why are you complaining?"

Katana threw a reproachful glare at Neji, eyes blazing with contempt. "I didn't need the exact personification of my request. I would like to switch my team."

The Hokage blinked in astonishment. _What's her beef with Hyuugas? Is she that ridiculous and spoiled to put her problems before the Village's safety? _"I can't do that, Katana. Either you deal with the team that you specifically asked for, or I'll give the mission to another jounin. I have several ready and waiting who are as fully capable as you. And they certainly don't argue with their superiors for such menial reasons."

Katana felt as if she had been slapped across the face. Setting her teeth, she looked over at the three she had been assigned. The two besides the Hyuuga displayed mixed feelings, looking unsure and slightly worried. The Hyuuga himself was glaring at her with a look that said, "You're not worthy to lead us". Sparked by Neji's skepticism, Katana turned back to the Hokage. She picked the mission scroll off of the desk and slipped it into her waist pouch.

"I accept the mission," she said curtly and spun on her heels to leave. Hand on the doorknob; Katana glanced over to address her team. "Collect your supplies and meet me at the Village Gates in half and hour. We leave promptly so don't be late." Without another word, she exited the room, leaving Team Gai with the knowledge that they were going to have a difficult time on this mission. They only hoped their first impression was entirely wrong, but it seemed very unlikely.

* * *

Katana was more unsocial than Shino if it was possible. She hardly acknowledged them as she passed them by the Village Gates, only waving them to follow once they were cleared to leave. She led them through the forest outskirts in silence, ignoring the fact that Tenten was quietly expressing her feelings to Lee and Neji. Katana had her own thoughts to keep herself occupied.

_This is not good. Not good at all. If he pisses me off in any way, I may just snap and kill him. I really don't want to screw up on my first mission since I've been back, but the situation is awfully difficult for me. Of course, it wasn't Neji who made me leave the Village, but he is of the same clan. I seriously have to find a solution. Maybe I should get on good terms with the three of them, dare I say it. I think I gave them the wrong impression in the Hokage's Office. _

Katana suddenly stopped on a branch and turned to face the team, Tenten speculated she had been heard and began to panic. Neji and Lee landed on an adjacent branch, Tenten standing a few steps behind them. Katana pointed to the ground and she descended down the tree trunk with chakra on her feet. The others followed her swiftly, Tenten still keeping her distance.

"Okay, listen. I think we got off on the wrong foot before," Katana watched confusion shadow Team Gai's faces. "Sorry I was so… unfriendly. Can we try to start over? If we're going to function correctly as a team, we need to get to know each other and not have any rivalries." _Wow, that's really hypocritical, _Katana added in her thoughts. "I'll start by properly introducing and giving some information about myself.

"My name is Katana Suterusu. I would normally make my team address me as 'taichou' but I don't think you three would even if I made you. I became a jounin not too long ago, and I specialize in using these swords I almost always carry. My chakra elements are Katon and Doton, Katon being the stronger of the two. I know several high level ninjutsus, a few genjutsus, my taijutsu is good enough for my size, and a few meager fuuinjutsus. Now enough about me, your turn, Bowl-cut."

Lee blinked in surprise when he realized she was addressing him. "Oh, my name is Rock Lee and I have been a chunin for about a year. I am a strict taijutsu specialist, and no one can match me in hand-to-hand combat. But it is because I am incapable of performing both ninjutsu and genjutsu."

"Wait a second," Katana cut across. "You can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu?" Lee gave her a nod of confirmation. "Then how are you a shinobi? A ninja is someone who uses ninjutsu. If you can't, them how were you able to be accepted into the Academy?"

Neji gave his signature "hn". "That's odd. I said the same thing when we were first placed on a genin team."

Katana ignored his input, not wanting to think that they had somehow thought the same thing at anytime, even if it had been several years apart. She returned her attention to Lee who was giving a lengthy description of how Gai-sensei had noticed him because of his hardworking nature and determination. By the time he finished, Katana was ready to punching him if he said "youth" one more time.

"Alright, moving on. Your turn, Panda."

Tenten narrowed her eyes and exhaled heavily, raising a laugh from Lee. She never did like being called panda. "My name is Tenten. I-"

"Don't you have a surname?" Katana interrupted.

Tenten sighed again. "No I don't, it's a long story that I don't want to talk about at this present time. Anyway, as I was saying, I've been a chunin for as long as Lee. I specialize in weapons as my main form of offense and defense. I can use almost every weapon known within the Five Great Countries, and I store all the ones I use avidly in this scroll."

"Good to know," Katana said and looked over at Neji. She debated whether to let him speak, she knew about him from their sparring matches. But remembering her attempt to try and get on good terms, she put her hatred aside and nodded in his direction. "Go ahead, Hyuuga."

Neji hardened his gaze, obviously not wanting to participate. But staring Katana down proved futile and he bitterly spoke. "You already know my name, so there is no point in repeating it. I've been a jounin for just short of a year. As you've seen in our sparring, I use Jyuuken and my Byakugan in battle, but I also know several Fuuton jutsu."

Katana raised one of her eyebrows slightly at the mention of his chakra element, but nodded and looked in the direction they were previously headed. "Now that I know what everyone is capable of, completing this mission should be easier. Let's continue on for now. I want to get closer to the rebels' stronghold before the night falls." Katana leaped into the trees and Team Gai quickly followed, but they weren't entirely comfortable with their team leader yet. It was still far too strange to be following orders issued by someone other than Gai sensei or Neji.

Lee was following close behind Katana, prepared to complete his duties no matter who the leader was, but Tenten and Neji were farther back. They both shared the same concerns about the mission, still unsure of the extent of Katana's abilities and untrusting of her change in attitude.

"She defiantly has a problem with us, especially you," Tenten murmured to Neji as his ran through the trees beside her. "I don't like the way she looks at you or how she acted in Lady Tsunade's Office. It's almost as if she wants to kill you."

"Hn, you're not far from the truth with that thought," Neji replied quietly, Tenten giving him an alarmed look. "She did try to kill me, or at least it seemed like it. She trapped me in a Doton and had a sword to my neck."

Tenten looked forward to where Katana was ahead of them. _Why would she try to kill Neji? What's her problem? I really don't feel comfortable now. Who knows what she may do now. We may fall asleep one night and never wake up. _"Neji, I think we should stick together. No matter what, don't be alone with her for any reason. I don't trust her."

Katana ran on through the trees and felt her stomach twist. Tenten was unaware of how strong the team leader's ears were, and Katana felt smothered by the thick blanket of dejection. They didn't trust her, and now she couldn't fully trust them. She could hear Lee only a few paces behind her, but he seemed incredibly far away. She was in a separate world from the others and there was hardly a thing that could link their universes. Weakly shaking her head, Katana leaped on, trying the focus the heavy thoughts that burdened her mind.

Was she wasting her time trying to be friendly? It only seemed to cause building tension. All she ever wanted was someone her age to trust, put the moment that trust was betrayed, it took so much out of her, it was worse than the feeling of exhausting all of her chakra. It had happened before with the people she was supposed to be born to trust; her family had practically driven her out of the Village. She had finally come back and gotten back on her feet, but the hope of ever establishing trust again was obliterated when the memory of her family returned.

Katana glanced up and stopped short on the branch she had just landed on causing Lee to nearly run into her. She had been so preoccupied with her own thoughts that she hadn't realized where they were.

"Why have we stopped?" Lee questioned as Neji and Tenten landed beside them.

"Don't you see it?" Katana asked, pointing ahead through the trees. Team Gai looked between the thick leaves until it became apparent what they staring that. Rising in an enormous clearing not too far ahead was the rebels' stronghold.

* * *

The structure was larger than any of them had thought it would be. What Lady Tsunade had thought was a large group of rebels turned out to be a small army. The stronghold was large enough to hold several hundred warriors and Katana wondered whether the mission should have been ranked S and given to the Anbu Black Ops. The building was heavily equipped with large weapons on the ramparts intended to keep any opposing forces out.

"Okay, let's get down to business," Katana said after the small squad had set up camp not far from the fortress. They sat around a small fire, the flames casting sharp, flickering shadows over their features. "I need someone to go scouting with me. We have to cull more information before we can properly form a plan of action to best complete the mission. Neji, I think you'll be the ideal candidate for scouting."

Katana rose to her feet and took several steps away, but realized she wasn't being followed. Tenten was gripping Neji's sleeve with a worried look on her face. Katana turned and gave the two a questioning look, placing a hand on her hip. She watched Tenten mutter something into Neji's ear and he glanced at his teammate.

"Is there a problem?" Katana interrupted as they started to argue quietly under their breath.

Tenten looked up with a defiant look on her face. She stood and walked up to the team leader, standing a few inches taller than Katana. "I request you take me scouting instead of Neji," Tenten said firmly.

"And why I do that?" Katana questioned without an inflection in her voice, undaunted by her height disadvantage. "Hyuuga is better for the situation. He will be able to see into the stronghold and get information otherwise inaccessible, information vital to the success of the mission."

"But I will be able to analyze the weapons outside on the ramparts better than anyone here," Tenten retorted. "That is also vital to be able to get out of here alive. I can also disarm any traps along the way and maybe even set a few to ensnare the unsuspecting guard who may be searching for people like us."

Katana contemplated Tenten's argument for a moment before nodding and picking up her swords and back-plate apparatus. "Fine, you can come. Your point is valid, Tenten, but don't think you're getting out of this entirely, Neji." Katana turned her attention to the Hyuuga. "The information you could provide must be attained at some point in time. So either start trusting me or learn to use doppelgangers." With that, Katana leaped into the trees with Tenten in quick pursuit.

* * *

Tenten had never felt more uncomfortable in her life. She didn't like being alone with Katana, but it was better her than Neji. At least Katana had no valid reason to attack Tenten. The weapon kunoichi stopped beside the team leader after they were several hundred meters from the stronghold. It was too close in Tenten's perspective and she had the terrible feeling that someone already knew they were there.

"What do you make of those weapons?" Katana asked quietly, pointing to a large trebuchet and a catapult. Tenten looked, but couldn't focus on her given task.

"Katana, I have to ask you something," Tenten said after several failed attempts to analyze the war weapons. "What is your problem with Neji? You act drastically in a way I've never seen a person react to another. What-?"

"It's none of your business," Katana growled, making Tenten jump. Katana exhaled, fighting back the rising anger about to consume her. "Just know that his clan did me a great wrong a few years back, a wrong I can never forgive or forget. I've wanted to get revenge and Neji's the first Hyuuga I've met since then. I know it's wrong, but I just- just-"

Tenten looked in surprise as Katana bowed her head and it sunk into her hands. She never would have thought that Katana would let her emotions show. But as suddenly as she showed the moment of weakness, Katana covered it up and raised her head, finding false interest in the ramparts.

"Gosh, it must have been pretty bad," Tenten mused, wondering what the said 'wrong' could have been to evoke such emotion in the female jounin. "But don't take it out on Neji, okay? He's a good person and wouldn't hurt anyone without a reason. He's actually really nice and caring when you get to know him…" Tenten quickly shut her mouth, knowing she had said too much. Katana raised an eyebrow at the weapon ninja and make a noise similar to Neji's "hn".

"You like him, don't you?" Katana questioned slyly with an almost mocking smirk. Tenten blushed a bright shade of pink and turned her head away, stammering her denial. "No matter, but now I have a question," Katana continued. "Why on earth does he wear a skirt?"

Tenten exploded at Katana's question, loudly and firmly explaining that it was _**NOT**_ a skirt, rather just part of his robe-like attire that he had started wearing when he became a jounin. Katana calmed the other female down and got her refocused on their task. Tenten analyzed the weapons on the ramparts and was about to give her diagnosis when Katana stood bolt upright.

She scented the air and her eyes widened. Katana grabbed Tenten's sleeve and turned to run when a round of arrows whizzed in their direction. "We've been found! Get out of here! NOW!" Katana bodily pushed Tenten into the forest and drew a sword to face their unseen attackers. Three brutish men carrying broadswords and crossbows burst from the trees and charged at Katana. She lifted her sword in preparation to fight, but a high-pitched scream split the air.

Katana whirled around and saw Tenten unconscious in the arms of another man and a cold sweat brow out on the kunoichi's forehead. She turned back to the other three, only to find two of them running back in the direction of the stronghold and one staying behind. He darted forward with speed that didn't seem possible for his size and drove his knee into her stomach. Breath knocked clean from her lungs, Katana slumped to the ground, staring at the large man above her.

"Don't kill her," the other man holding Tenten said, stopping the other from driving his sword into Katana's chest. "We only need on hostage and this one is no threat."

"No. You can't. No." Unable to get an adequate amount of air in her lungs, Katana watched as the two men lumbered away. Her voice was feeble and wheezing, the blow the man gave was more damaging that she initially though. And all she could do was lay on the ground, powerless as they took Tenten with them.

* * *

Author Note: Finally another chapter, sorry for the wait. I had major writer's block and had to figure out a whole story map which was no fun. I was ready to write my fingers off this week because I have off of school, but my pet bird died T_T. I've been really out of it for a while so my creativity was reduced to drawing depressing pictures of that my mother yelled at me for... I hope the chapter is okay considering I'm not at the top of my game, and reviews would certainly make me feel better ;-). And if anyone was wondering, fuuinjutsu are sealing techniques. I get all my information from , a very educating website for all Nauto fans. This is finally the beginning of the meat and potatoes, so I hope you like it. I will hopefully update soon, so until then, peace out.

-cagedbird361


	7. Chapter 6: Are You Ready

Chapter 6: Are You Ready

"They are taking an awfully long time, are they not?"

Lee voiced the concern that had been on Neji's mind for the last hour. Tenten and Katana had left to scout four hours ago and had still not returned. The night was growing dark and a cold wind was starting to pick up, moaning through the trees with and eerie voice. Neji contemplated whether he should go search for the females, but he had already scanned the area with his Byakugan and they were farther than his range could see. It would be his disadvantage to go searching in the dark and he was somewhat unfamiliar with the terrain. Although they were still in the Land of Fire, the rebels had made several alterations in the landscape to best fit the protection of their stronghold. And he would need to take Lee, but the taijutsu ninja was unable to see in the dark and may make a costly blunder.

Lee and Neji took turns on watch through the night, always ready should some threat be lurking in the trees or if Katana or Tenten came back. Yet the sun eventually rose and they were still the only ones present in the camp. Neji made another scan with his Byakugan, but found nothing to report. He and Lee made the decision to go and look for the females, knowing something must have happened to them.

"This is very strange, I must say," Lee muttered as he adjusted his chuunin vest and picked up his shuriken holster. "What could have possibly befallen them? Katana told us she was a jounin and we both know Tenten is no pushover. What do you think happened?"

"We're going to find out," Neji replied curtly. He would never share it with Lee, but he had a strong feeling that their disappearance had something to do with Katana. She had seemed none too happy to have Tenten accompany her instead of him, and Neji would not have been surprised if something had happened to Tenten on Katana's account. The female jounin had tried to kill him, after all, so what was stopping her from attacking his teammates. "Let's go, Lee."

Neji was just about to leap into the trees, much more comfortable with being in charge again, when he detected a faint flare of chakra slowly approaching the camp. Stopping Lee's movement by lifting his hand, Neji activated his kekkei genkai and scanned the area. He saw a person staggering towards the camp, the pattern of their chakra showing that they were injured. Neji drew a kunai and waited until the person came close enough to be recognized. It was Katana. And she was alone.

_What's going on? _Neji furrowed his brow as she stumbled into the clearing, clutching her ribs and breathing heavily. Katana looked up at Lee and Neji, something like despair shadowing her face.

"Something happened," she coughed out, wincing and gripping her ribs. "We- I- Tenten-"

"Where is she?" Neji growled, lifting his kunai. "What happened? What did you do to her?"

Katana looked at him with alarm and confusion. "Me? I did nothing! It was-"

"Don't lie!" Neji snapped advancing towards his injured team leader with rage masking his face. "I know this is your fault! What did you do to her? Where is Tenten?"

"The rebels! They got to us! I-"

"Tell me where she is!" Neji roughly grabbed the collar of Katana's zippered sweatshirt and threw her against a tree. She gave a cry as she smashed into the bark; smacking her head and feeling her ribs explode with pain. She sunk to the ground only to have Neji grab her collar again and pull her to her feet and slam her against the tree again. "What have you done with Tenten?"

"Neji! Stop being so violent!" Lee tried to intervene but the Hyuuga paid no attention to his teammate. He tightened his grip on Katana's sweater.

Katana suddenly forgot the pain in her bruised ribs and felt an emotion wash over and consume her with more force than a tsunami. Fear. She stared into Neji's hate filled white eyes, the anger burning into her soul with enough power to make her usual cold demeanor melt like ice. Air seemed scarce in the small gap between their noses and Katana's memory flashed back four years earlier to another Hyuuga. The remembrance called her lost voice back from where the fear had held it.

"Let me go," Katana whispered, still too captivated by fear to fully fight back.

"No. Not until you tell me what you've done with her," Neji snarled, lifting his kunai to Katana's throat. The fear came back again, but this time it came with the primordial instinct to escape from danger, an instinct that could not be denied.

"LET ME GO!" Katana yelled loud enough to make Neji step back for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure before Katana could get away. "LET GO! As the leader of this team, I order you! DON'T DISOBEY MY ORDERS! RELEASE ME!"

"Not until you tell me what's happened!" Neji snarled. He wasn't nearly as loud as Katana, but his tone compensated for the lack of volume. He slammed Katana into the tree again as if to strengthen his point.

Lee watched in horror, unsure of what to do. He had never seen Neji in such a state, and it was then Lee realized how much the Hyuuga cared for Tenten. Not only was he resorting to violence against a female comrade, he was disobeying orders, something he had never done. Lee stared as Katana began to tremble, her eyes wide, and she finally broke.

"IF YOU DON'T LET GO, I'LL BEAT YOU UP SO FUCKING HARD I"LL RIP YOU A NEW ASSHOLE! GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF ME!"

Neji was startled by Katana's language, never suspecting such words to come from a shinobi's mouth. He released her collar and backed away, but still glared like a basilisk as Katana sunk to the ground. She curled into a ball, resting her head on her knees and trembled violently. Lee thought he heard her whimper and whine like an injured animal, but Neji was quick to drown the sound out.

"There, I let you go. Now tell me where Tenten is!" He took several threatening steps forward.

Katana hissed like a cat and backed away from him, distrust displayed plainly on her face. "The rebels took her! I heard them coming and told her to run. I turned my back to fight off some others and the next thing I know, she was unconscious by their hands. I tried to go after them, but I got hit in the stomach and I think some of my ribs are bruised. I couldn't follow them alone, so I came back here."

"Is that so?" Neji spat with sarcasm. "Why was Tenten taken and not you? You should at least be dead if she was kidnapped."

"I don't why! How am I supposed to know how the rebels' minds work?"

"It's a good story to cover something up. Tenten just happened to be my teammate and she just happened to be the one who got kidnapped. I want to know what you really did!"

"I did nothing!" Katana shakily rose to her feet and stared Neji in the eye although he was a good six inches taller. "I have proof! Do you want to see the mark where I was hit? I healed it as much as I could, but it's still visible."

"I don't need your proof," Neji growled and turned to Lee. "Come on, Lee. Let's go see if Tenten is there. We can get close enough for me to use my Byakugan to look into the stronghold. If she's not there, I won't hesitate to pass the judgment I see fit for the situation."

"You're leaving?" Katana questioned in disbelief. "You can't leave!" she called when Neji began to stride away without an answer. "I'm the leader here! You can't disobey me! Lee, you talk of always complying to and following the orders you're given. And Neji, aren't the Hyuuga's honorable? No respectable Hyuuga would disobey direct orders!"

"What do you know about my clan?" Neji snarled in anger. "I don't know what you have against me or any of my family, but it's no doubt for pathetic and childish reasons. And any respectable Hyuuga would save his true teammate and not listen to the lies of an unqualified leader. I don't know what the Hokage saw in you. You're worthless, a bigger failure that my cousin. You don't deserve any of the respect that was previously given to you. Leave this mission to real shinobi, shinobi that are correctly ranked."

Katana stared at them as they leaped away, hurt and angered. She bowed her head as they disappeared and gritted her teeth. _If you only knew, Hyuuga. If you only knew. _She lifted her gaze to the sky and set her jaw. _I'm not worthless! I'll prove you wrong. _Katana lifted her thumb to her mouth and bit into the skin. Weaving seals, she began forming a plan, knowing this was the only way she could prove herself. _So be it._

_

* * *

_

Tenten was aware of the pain in her right leg before she was even fully conscious. She opened her eyes to a cold stone cell with iron bars on the high up window and the large metal door. Only the pale sunlight flitting through the window provided light and she wondered if it would be pitch black at night. She tried to remember what had happened and how she had gotten there. Memories of Katana and the scouting mission came back, along with running from the danger the team leader had sensed and getting knocked in the head with the pommel of a sword.

Rubbing the lump that had risen on the back of her skull from the blow, Tenten looked down at her leg. It was twisted at a funny angle; an angle a bone shouldn't normally be able to reach. It was obviously broken. Scanning the cell more carefully after taking into account all her injuries, Tenten found nothing truly horrid about the cell. She wasn't chained to a wall or anything, which was fortunate, and the bars on the windows were made in a way that she could easily cut through with the proper tools.

Tools.

Tenten searched wildly for her scroll, but found it nowhere to be seen. Dismayed, Tenten's shoulder's slumped; she could have easily escaped if her scroll was in her possession despite her injuries. The sound of footsteps tore her from her thoughts and the jingle of keys outside her door brought her to attention. The door was unlocked and a brutish man stepped into the confines of the cell. He closed the door behind him and took several steps forward.

"Glad to see you're awake," he said with a mocking smile. "Now we can take action." He let out a chuckle and came to kneel beside Tenten. "Konohagakure won't know what hit it."

"What's going on?" Tenten snapped as the man took out a length of rope from his pocket. "Where am I? What are you doing?"

"Enough questions," the man barked. "You have no power here, so I suggest you comply to what we say or you'll end up like your roommate."

"Roommate?" Tenten looked around and her eyes fell on a shadowy corner she had neglected to examine thoroughly. Splayed out was a pile of bones, a skeleton of the last occupant of the cell. As the man tied her arms and left the cell, the gravity of the situation finally sunk in. She was a hostage.

* * *

"This place is very heavily guarded," Neji murmured to Lee, examining the stronghold carefully with his Byakugan. "The weapons on the ramparts are powerful, but they're meant for armies, not individuals. There are many rebels; over two hundred by estimation, but none have developed chakra networks. Except… I found her."

Lee came to attention at Neji's words, eager to receive orders so they could continue. But Neji was silent as he stared into the stronghold, a small crinkle in his brow. "What is it, Neji?" Lee questioned.

"Katana was right." Neji gritted his teeth and shook the thought from his mind. "Let's go. They have sentries but no way to detect chakra. By relying on their eyes alone, they will be unable to spot us until it's too late."

They set off, using the barricades and trenches constructed around the stronghold to their own advantage. They were shielded from the sentries' eyes until they came to the small gap between the closest trench and the shadow of the wall. It was a small gap, easy enough to cross, but they would be visible for that moment. Being seen would obliterate their chances of rescuing Tenten. Neither was wearing clothing that would camouflage their appearance; white and green stand out vibrantly against dusty brown dirt.

Neji took careful notes of the direction the sentries were looking and he was someone relieved that they were mostly looking out, not down. They never expected anything to get as close as the two Konohagakure shinobi were without detection. Giving a subtle signal, Neji and Lee ran into the shadow and were safely hidden from view. They ran up the wall with chakra on their feet, Neji leading and reaching the top first. He sprang onto the ramparts and took out the first startled sentry in front of him with a swift Jyuuken palm thrust. The sentry gave a gurgle of surprise and collapsed to the ground, dead.

Lee joined Neji on the parapet and quickly went after another sentry who had spotted them. However, his methods weren't as subtle as the Hyuuga's and Lee's victim screamed as his skull was spilt open from a powerful roundhouse kick. Neji glared at Lee, but the latter was too busy taking care of the other sentries that had been alerted by their comrade's cry. They swarmed like insects, converging on the two intruding shinobi like ants on picnic crumbs. They came from both sides and Neji and Lee stood back to back, each in their own combat stance and ready to attack.

The first stepped up to Lee and the ninja made quick work of him with a few well-placed punches. Another came at Neji, but the Hyuuga didn't want to waste time. As Lee addressed each of his opponents individually, Neji drew on his chakra and reared his hand back.

"Hakke: Kuushou!" The gale of wind smashed into the first sentry and threw him into the one behind him. The chain reaction resulted in the whole line of guards falling off the parapet and meeting their death on the ground far below. Neji turned to Lee who was still dealing with his side just as the taijutsu ninja received a harsh blow from a shield to the chest. He stumbled backwards almost into Neji, but the Hyuuga sidestepped and used his jutsu once more. Lee looked up at him from where he had fallen on the ground with an awkward grin of gratitude, and a low noise rumbled though the air. Lee and Neji looked up and found one sentry they had neglected to kill blowing a horn. Neji instantly reacted and threw a kuani into his back, silencing him, but it was too late. Reinforcements had already been called.

"Come on, we have to hurry."

Lee and Neji ran down the wall to the opposite side into the stronghold itself. Rebels were spilling from doors on every side of the square enclosure, coming from barracks that Neji had seen with his Byakugan. He activated his kekkei genkai and ran across the enclosure to the opposite side, reaching for a door he knew led to hostage cells. The hostage cells where he had seen Tenten.

"Lee! Cover me," Neji called as he ran through the door and down a long hallway. Several guards stared at him in shock as he approached, but came to their senses too soon to be caught off guard. Neji dodged a sword as it swung for his neck, glad of his experience of fighting Tenten. Another came at him with a mace, swinging the metal tipped club in an intimidating fashion. Neji quickly attacked the guard and rendered his arms useless before thrusting his palm into his chest. Even if the man was never a shinobi, the chakra network still played a vital role in his survival.

Easily disposing of the other guards, Neji scanned the cells along the walls before finding the one with Tenten in it. She was last at the end of the hall and Neji easily opened the door by forcing chakra into the lock. He found Tenten sitting against a wall, hands bound behind her back and a gag in her mouth. Neji swiftly freed her from her bonds and she threw her arms around his neck.

"Took you long enough," she muttered into his shoulder. Neji pulled himself from her grasp, controlling the color that threatened to creep up his cheeks.

"These ropes were in simple knots," he observed. "You could have easily gotten free. Why did you wait?"

"Those guards outside were watching me like hawks. They saw everything I did, so even if I moved out of their line of sight, they could come in and catch me. Also, they took my scroll and my leg is broken. I couldn't have gotten very far even if I tried."

"Your leg is broken? That could pose a problem. But you're safe and that's all that matters. All I need to do is check on Lee."

"What about Katana?" Tenten didn't like the look that shadowed Neji's eyes at the mention of the team leader. "Where is she? What happened to her?"

"Hn. Don't waste your concerns on Katana. She doesn't matter anymore. I've taken this mission over. We'll get you back to camp and I'll find a way to destroy these rebels."

Tenten looked at him with and incredulous expression. But before she could question any more, Neji picked her up and ran out of the cell. She clung to his neck, wincing as her leg throbbed. Neji ran out into the enclosure to find Lee holding his own, yet it was clear the taijutsu ninja was weakening. His kicks and punches were getting sloppy as his tried to fend off the rebels that had surrounded him. He already had a few cuts on his face and arms and the weapons continued to graze his spandex as he fought off multiple attackers.

"Wait! The other has the hostage! Don't let them escape!" The cry rose from somewhere among the clotted mass of rebels and all eyes turned on Neji and Tenten.

"Hold onto me," Neji murmured and Tenten could feel a blush creep onto her cheeks but she tightened her grip around the Hyuuga's neck nonetheless. Neji prepared to fight but a loud high-pitched noise split the air. He looked up and saw bolts from fifty crossbows whizzing towards them. The color drained from his face and he hardly had time to react. He heard Lee call his and Tenten's names, but it seemed too late. A moment more and they would meet their deaths by the sharp bolts.

A deafening roar erupted from the air and the bolts were knocked wayward by a powerful gust of wind. Neji and Tenten looked skyward in unison and their jaws dropped. An enormous black dragon descended from the clouds and landed in front of them, taking up nearly half the space of the enclosure. It threw its head back and roared to the sky, making the ground shake. Once its bellows had ceased, it lowered to the ground and a figure dismounted from its back.

"How's this for worthless?" Katana mocked in a sardonic voice. She kept her back turned to them. She wasn't wearing her back-plate apparatus, and her hair was out of its bun. The dragon roared again and the rebels started to retreat, their cries of terror piercing the air. "You thought you knew how my story went, huh? You thought I'd never come this far or be this powerful? Well, it's time for you to take the backseat, Hyuuga. Sit down, shut up, and cover your ears."

The dragon roared to the sky again and took to the air, raising clouds of dust and dirt into the air. Katana then turned around and locked them with her gaze. Tenten gasped in horror and Neji could only stare. Katana's irises glowed a bloody vermilion and her mouth was slightly open to make room for growing canines. She grinned maliciously and lifted the sword she carried. It was larger that her others and was curved like a giant fang. "Now you'll see how a true shinobi should be ranked!" The dragon bellowed above them and Katana sprinted to the first group of fleeing rebels. "Are you ready for this?"

* * *

Author Note: I'm on a roll! Two chapters in one week! Suspense! Cliff hanger! Please don't hate me! *sweatdrops with a nervous laugh* I'll try to update soon if I can, because I have nothing better to do this week other than mourn my bird and watch movies '-_-. Anywho, sorry for the profanity if it offended anyone. It just made that scene a little more powerful (and funny in my opinion XD). Oh, and the pairing is going to change. I still have to brainstorm and finalize it but it is inevitable that something has to be altered *nervous laugh*. As a heads up, it's probably going to be NejixTen and OCxOC. Give me your thoughts if you want( by this I mean review plz *laughs nervously again*) So until next time, peace out.

-cagedbird361


	8. Chapter 7: This War Is Ours

Chapter 7: This War Is Ours

Katana's first strike severed a rebel's head from his shoulders. And it was just the beginning.

The rebels had realized the threat she posed and were trying their hardest to escape, but their stronghold was built to keep enemies out and they were unable to open the gate before Katana leaped into the small group huddled by the door. She swung her sword expertly, but the rebels were too flustered and frightened to fight back. Soon, they all lay at her feet in a pool as crimson as her eyes.

Katana turned her face to the sky at the high-pitched whine of crossbow bolts, but no fear was visible in her features. She lifted her sword and the dragon swooped down and beat its great wings, knocking the bolts out of the sky. Katana flashed her sharp canines in the dragon's direction and ran to another group of rebels. One lifted a crossbow but never got a chance to use it. Katana threw her sword and it sunk solidly into the rebel's chest with a sickening squelch.

Seeing she was disarmed, the rebels advanced, swinging swords and axes with fierce battle cries. Katana skidded to a halt from her run, but, once again, she showed no fear. As they got closer, Katana pulled her hand back as if pulling a sword from a body. The sword she was using then ripped from the dead rebel's chest and flew at the group advancing on her.

"How did she do that?" Tenten wondered out loud, looking to Neji who had his Byakugan activated.

"Chakra. She attached chakra to the end of her sword when she threw it. It's the same as a Kugutsu no Jutsu; a Puppetry Technique."

"Like what Kankurou of the Sand uses?"

Neji nodded and watched as Katana eliminated another group of rebels. She looked up and turned to the Neji and Tenten, a scratch oozing blood down her cheek. She glanced at Tenten's broken leg and wiped the blood from her cheek onto her right palm. She made the proper seals and slammed her palm into the ground.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu: the Art of Summoning!" Smoke billowed around Katana's hand and another dragon, much smaller than the one she had come on, leaped from the cloud to stand at Katana's feet. It lowered its head in a respectable bow to Katana, then stood at attention, waiting to hear what ever orders it would be given. "See the girl with the broken leg?" The dragon glanced over and nodded to Katana. "Protect her with your life." The dragon bowed its head to her again and bound over to Tenten.

"Greetings, friend," it said in a voice deep for its size. "You may call me Hogosha-Ryuu. Under my protection, no harm will befall you. I swear it." Tenten nodded uneasily at the dragon, but it turned and stood facing the battle Katana was single-handedly fighting, ready to take action at the slightest threat to Tenten.

Katana looked to Lee and Neji who were idly kneeling by Tenten. "You just going to sit there?" Neji had a response fly to his tongue, but the doors to the barracks flew open again and more rebels began to pour out. The streams didn't stop until the enclosure was filled with people, all carrying war weapons. Katana looked back to Lee and Neji, and they leaped to their feet and joined Katana on the battlefield.

She leaped up the one of the walls with chakra on her feet, turning to face the battle below. She formed the hand seals and let loose an enormous tongue of flame from her jaw, engulfing a large mass of rebels and sent them screaming to their deaths. Lee narrowly avoided getting set on fire as a smoldering rebel nearly brushed his flammable spandex, but once most of the fiery rebels had fallen dead, Lee and Neji flew into action.

Tenten watched her teammates fight with growing anxiety. Hogosha-Ryuu was doing a fine job in torching or snapping at any rebel who dare get too close to her, but Tenten had never sat back and watched a fight she could participate in. She longed to fight along side the others, throw a shuriken, wield a bow staff, or contribute in some way to win the fight. But she wasn't in the possession of her scroll, and her leg hampered any taijutsu she could have attacked with. Hogosha-Ryuu growled at her as she tried to stand on her good leg.

"Do not strain yourself," the dragon said sharply. "You need not feel bad because of your inability to fight. You are injured and it cannot be helped. Just let us handle the battle. With Katana-sama leading this fight, it will no doubt end in our favor."

"Katana-sama?" Tenten sputtered in shock and confusion.

"Of course!" the dragon cried as it sent a jet of flame chasing after a rebel who had stepped to close while trying to evade one of Neji's Jyuuken strikes. "What else would we call our master?" The dragon would say no more as it attacked the group of rebels that had seen Tenten and had the hope that they could somehow take their hostage back. They failed miserably.

Katana, seeing how well Hogosha-Ryuu was doing his job, didn't need to worry about Tenten. She ran at another clot of rebels, and tightened the grip on her sword. They readied themselves, but faltered as Katana's curved sword burst into flames. She sliced easily through the light armor they wore, setting fire to the fabric underneath. She didn't bother to make a deathblow to any of them; they would die from their wounds before their final comrade fell. She leaped over to another individual and quickly disarmed him, but heard the shriek of crossbow bolts before she could kill him. She looked to the sky and saw them flying in one direction: at Neji.

Quickly stabbing the rebel through the chest, she dislodged her sword and ran in his direction. He whipped around as he heard the bolts and dodged out of the way. But Katana saw something he didn't. Even though his Byakugan was activated, Neji made no motion to react to the bolt that was whizzing right towards the back of his neck from the opposite direction.

"Hyuuga! Behind you!" He heard Katana's words and spun around but had no time to react.

Katana set her jaw and leaped through the air at him. She slammed into his back, wrapping her arms firmly around his shoulders, and her momentum brought Neji out of the bolt's path. Katana hissed in pain as she felt the edge of the bolt graze her back, and she and Neji landed heavily on the ground, skidding several feet before finally coming to a halt. The force of the landing jarred Katana's grip and she slid considerably farther, stopping next to a half conscious rebel.

Neji sat up and looked at her in confusion, trying to fully grasp what had just happened, and hating the one blind spot of his kekkei genkai. Katana rose to all fours, breathing heavily, glared at Neji, the red glow of her eyes flickering as if she was growing weaker. She set her teeth and drove her sword into the stomach of the rebel next to her.

"Three hundred and sixty degrees of vision, my ass!" she growled, lifting herself to her feet, wincing as the gash on her back throbbed. "Be more careful!" Katana cleared her hair out of her face and ran into the battle once more.

Still not completely conscious of what had just happened, Neji shook his head and joined the fight as well. But for every rebel that fell by a jutsu, punch, or Katana's sword, there seemed to be at least three to take its place. There was no end to them, and the one dragon, one chuunin, and two jounin were slowly getting overwhelmed. This came to Katana's attention and she knew she had to find a better way than to take each one out individually. She could have just let the enormous dragon she had first summoned set fire to the stronghold, but she couldn't risk injuring her team. Looking to the large dragon flying above and Hogosha-Ryuu guarding Tenten, she got an idea to end the battle. Even though there was the risk that it would also end her life.

She summoned another dragon, medium in size, and told it her plan. She called to Lee and Neji, ordering them firmly to cease their fighting and to go by Tenten. The dragon ran to the three of them once the males had finally relinquished their fighting.

"Place a hand on my wing," it growled sagely, extending one its wings so all three members of Team Gai could reach. Once they had uneasily obey, it extended its other wing and created a canopy around the three shinobi.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Lee asked as the dragon's eyes turned from yellow to a glowing blue.

"Taking you back to the camp," it answered firmly. "Katana-sama's orders."

"But what about her?" Tenten cried. "She can't be left alone! No way she'll be able to handle all of these rebels by herself!"

"Do not question Katana-sama's orders," the dragon snapped, its eyes growing brighter. "She has her ways."

"But-!" Tenten was cut off as the dragon threw its head back and roared, a blinding light burst from the dragon's mouth and they landed in the clearing where the camp was located.

Katana watched them go and looked up at the dragon circling the stronghold high above. The rebels had realized that Katana was the only one left and their confidence was renewed. Katana bowed her head as they began to warily approach, still unsure of her intentions. She droppped her curved sword and began to weave hand seals, finishing with Sign of the Snake. She slammed her palms into the ground, initiating the same Doton jutsu she had used on Neji in their second sparring match. The earth rumbled and trembled for a moment, startling the rebels into stillness. The ground became threaded with cracks and the soil came alive.

Cries of surprise rose from the rebels' throats as the ground began to crawl up their limbs. Katana gritted her teeth as her chakra was sucked away into powering the jutsu. It was much more extensive than the one she had used against Neji, and the amount of chakra it took to capture the remaining rebels was a dangerous amount to expend. She scanned the enclosure, watching as the chakra-saturated earth trapped the few rebels that had tried to escape.

Pulling her hands out of the ground, Katana shakily rose to her feet, swaying slightly as her head went light. She turned her crimson eyes to the air as the dragon fell in a steep dive towards the open top of the enclosure. She could feel her teeth slowly shrink to normal and her eyes fade to brown once again and the curved sword on the ground turn to dust. She watched as the dragon plummeted to the earth and open its jaw, seeming ready to swallow the female jounin whole. But in the depths of its throat, Katana saw the spark light and she thrust her hands into the air just as the dragon engulfed the entire enclosure in flame.

* * *

"No! NO!"

Tenten was the first to see the pillar of fire rise from the stronghold and the structure burst into flames. Team Gai and Hogosha-Ryuu stood, Neji assisting Tenten, several meters from their camp in an area where they had a clear view of the stronghold. Lee and Tenten's jaws had dropped, and the dragon had a look of horrified alarm on its serpentine features. Only Neji stood expressionless, white eyes locked on the ignited fortress.

"Katana was in there." Tenten whispered, too appalled to speak normally. "The fire… Do you think she's- she's-?"

"Katana-sama!" Hogosha-Ryuu cried. The dragon let out a mournful bellow and sunk to the ground, looking stricken and incredulous. "She was the last Dragon Summoner. That's why we held her in such high regard." The dragon looked broken and rested its head on the ground, but suddenly jumped to its feet. "No, she can't be dead!"

"You are quite erratic in your emotions," Lee murmured. "Why do you think she's alive?"

"If she had died, I would have sensed it. The jutsu that keeps me bound to her summon would have been released. Look!"

Team Gai turned their attention back to the stronghold where the dragon was looking. The fire flashed brightly and the large black dragon Katana had first summoned burst from the cloud of dark smoke rising into the sky. Hope glittered in Hogosha-Ryuu's eyes as the large dragon flew swiftly towards the camp. The smaller dragon turned and ran back to the camp to greet to larger of its species. Team Gai followed more slowly, compensating for Tenten's injury. The larger dragon arrived several minutes later, hardly squeezing into the small clearing. It lowered to rest its belly on the ground and it carefully assisted a rider off of its back.

Katana slid to the ground, clinging to the dragon's scales to keep on her feet. She was unscathed by the fire, but the few wounds she had sustained in the battle still lingered. She was gasping for breath and trembling violently.

"Katana-sama?" Hogosha-Ryuu whispered, stepping forward with his head carried low. She turned, staring at the dragon and her team, a faint smirk spread over her mouth.

"Well done, everyone," she murmured, taking a step forward. "Well done."

She then exhaled and fell forward, landing face down on the ground, unconscious.

* * *

Author Note: I certainly am on a role aren't I! ^_^ I wanted to finish this mission before my school break ends. The next chapter is going to end the mission, I'm sorry to say, but it's going to be longer to make up for the shortness of this one. "Hogosha" is a way to say guardian for anyone who was interested. I'm still debating the pairings '-.- I may keep it as what it originally was, but I have to see how the story turns out. Sometimes I feel as if this story is writing itself. Has anyone else ever felt that way about a story? Half of the things that have happened in fic have just happened with out me intending it. It's kinda scary sometimes 0.0 Anyway, until next time, peace out.

-cagedbird361


	9. Chapter 8: In The End

Chapter 8: In The End 

It was the pain that brought Katana into consciousness. Her whole body throbbed and she cracked open her eyes, aware of deep and heavy breathing above and around her. She was resting on her side, leaning against a large object that slowly moved with a slow, steady rhythm. Slowly peeling herself off the ground, she sat up and surveyed her surroundings. She was still in the clearing where they had made camp, Team Gai sitting on the opposite side. She turned and found her large black dragon summon the object she was leaning against, its warm flanks rising and falling with its breath.

"Oh, you are awake." Katana turned at Lee's voice, seeing Team Gai looking at her. She ran a hand up her face and through her hair, trying to focus her mind through her pounding headache.

"Yeah, it seems so," she muttered. "How long was I out for?"

"Since you came back yesterday, so about twenty-four hours," Tenten answered, her broken leg straightened out in front of her. "You're pretty beat up. We would have helped you, but your dragon is a little too protective."

Katana turned to the black dragon and glared sternly into its bright red eyes. "Why didn't you let them help me, Shura-Tatsu?" she growled and the dragon lowered its head. "I could die from my wounds and it would be your fault."

The dragon's ears drooped and it rested its head on the ground. "My apologies, Katana-sama. I would never do anything to hurt you; you know that. And that is the reason I wouldn't let them near you." Katana gave Shura-Tatsu and questioning look. "They stink of distrust," the dragon continued, jerking its head towards Team Gai. "I didn't like the way they acted or talked about matters concerning you. I couldn't be sure of their intentions."

Katana sighed and winced at the pain from the gash in her back. "Get me my waist pouch," she ordered the dragon. Shura-Tatsu lifted his tail and hooked the pouch onto one of the spikes and brought it over to his master. Katana rummaged through the small pouch, cursing slightly until she retrieved what she was searching for. "Oh good, I thought I had forgotten them." She crawled on her hands and knees, not trusting her legs with her weight, over to Team Gai.

"What is it?" Tenten asked as Katana as the team leader held up a jar small enough to be concealed in her palm.

"Hyourougan," Katana murmured, uncorking the jar. "Soldier pills. Everyone take one." She distributed the soldier pills and took three herself.

"You should not ingest so many at once," Lee warned. Katana raised an eyebrow and swallowed. "It could raise your chakra too high and-"

"Right now I need as much chakra as I can get," Katana answered curtly as she stored the jar back into her waist pouch. "I passed out from chakra exhaustion and I'm going to need a lot to heal your wounds. The medical ninjutsu I use requires more chakra than normal because it is so unrefined. It's the only thing I can manage."

Katana approached Tenten and began to examine her leg. After setting it properly with assistance from Neji's Byakugan, Katana made a long combination of hand seals, longer than most jutsus. The chakra that began to shimmer around her hands was a pale violet and she gently rested her hands over Tenten's tibia. Katana gritted her teeth and the chakra around her hands began to dim after several minutes. Shura-Tatsu snaked his head forward and rested his broad snout on the back of Katana's neck and her eyes began to glow red as they had in the fight at the stronghold. The chakra around her hands flared brightly and her canines began to grow. Katana lifted her hands away several minutes later, the chakra fading and her features returned to normal. Tenten moved her leg and slowly got to her feet, testing her strength and finding it back to normal. Katana smirked faintly and the dragon removed its snout from her back.

"Why does your appearance change like that?" Lee questioned as Katana set on healing the few scratches he had sustained. "It happened when you were in the stronghold as well."

"It's because of the dragons," Katana said as she focused on a cut on Lee's shoulder. "Because I'm their last summoner, the dragons have given me powers they haven't given anyone in decades. They give me their chakra when I need it, such as when I went to the stronghold and just before. But the dragons' chakra is slightly different from ours and it reacts in a certain way with my cells. The result is the slightly draconic appearance I get. And that sword I was using came from the dragons as well."

Katana finished healing Lee and looked to Neji. The Hyuuga wasn't meeting her gaze, finding great interest in the trees around the clearing.

"Do you have any injuries?" Katana questioned him. "Oh that's right, you don't. I made sure of that." Neji threw her a glare as she pointed a thumb at her back. Eating another solider pill, Katana healed the few wounds she had sustained, but met a problem when she reached for the wound on her back from the bolt she had saved Neji from. "Crap. Do any of you know how to stitch a gash?" The question caught Team Gai off guard.

"Why can't you heal it?" Tenten asked with a raised eyebrow, still testing her weight on her previously broken leg.

"Because my medical ninjustu is different, I need to place my entire hand over the wound," Katana explained, reaching to her back from several different angles. "I can't fully reach and I can't stitch my own back. Anyone willing to help?"

Tenten shook her head. "Sorry, but I'm not too savvy with gentle work with weapons. I use needles to kill people, not heal their injuries. I may end up stabbing you if I tried."

Lee shook his head as well. "I am afraid I have never had the touch to be a medic."

Katana didn't bother to look at Neji but it was he who spoke.

"I can." All three of the other ninja looked at him in surprise. He met none of their faces, keeping his eyes on the trees. "The Main Branch requires all Branch Family members learn fundamental first aid in case one of them gets injured." Katana gave him a quizzical look. She had been unaware that he had been in the Branch Family; his Jyuuken was stronger than she had thought was capable. "Besides, it seems I have a debt to pay."

Katana smirked and pulled a small med-kit out of her waist pouch. She handed it to him and pulled off the zippered sweater. She had several scars on her arms and an Anbu tattoo on her left shoulder, utterly shocking Lee and Tenten. Neji kept his expression unfazed and carefully prepared the needle. The gash on her back looked shallow, but it had left a large bloodstain on her clothes, showing it wasn't trivial. Katana pulled at her tank top and the rip around the gash widened.

Katana flinched when Neji first cleaned the gash, feeling her breath stop for a moment. His hands were colder than ice and she suppressed a shiver. She kept her face expressionless as she felt the needle penetrate her skin, and wondered why everyone had grown so quiet.

"Have any of you surveyed what's left of the stronghold?" she asked before the silence became too uncomfortable. "Just to make sure everything's taken care of."

"There was nothing left," Tenten answered dismissively. "The fire your dragon set burned it to the ground. If anything survived, it would have to have been undead to begin with."

"Good, so mission is complete," Katana finalized. "We can go as soon as Hyuuga finishes up. OW!"

"Sorry, my hand slipped," Neji said coldly. "Don't rush me. I'm doing you a favor; remember? I could have easily said no and left you to bleed."

"How polite, Hyuuga," Katana snapped. "If I hadn't dove at you, the same bolt that gave me this would have been lodged in the back of your skull. And I thought you could see everything."

Neji's brow furrowed and he finished stitching and knotted the thread. "There, now let's go back." Neji stood up and walked back over to Lee and Tenten.

Katana got to her feet and walked back over to Shura-Tatsu. She placed a bandage over her stitched wound so it wouldn't chafe against her sweater or back-plate. She pulled the apparatus on and stood straight up, Shura-Tatsu growling deep in his throat. She drew one of her swords, Team Gai looking at her in alarm. She dismissed the large dragon and it disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Someone's coming. Tell me, when I passed out before, did Hogosha-Ryuu go out into the forest, or did he disappear from here?"

Team Gai took a moment to think which of the dragons went by the name, but Tenten remembered. "The one that was protecting me, right? He went off into the forest if I remember correctly. He spoke with the black dragon and said something about 'protecting us further'."

"He's called Hogosha-Ryuu for a reason," Katana said with a smirk. "He set up a protective ward around us. It's a skill he has. And someone just crossed the ward. But I can't tell-"

Katana's words were cut off as three beams of light streaked from the trees and struck Team Gai. They were knocked from their feet and the beams morphed into spheres and hung suspended several feet off the ground. Katana ran to her team, but skidded to a halt when a large man dropped from the trees. He had a scarred face masked by a helmet and other armor covered his limbs and torso. He held a large battle-axe and a fierce glare masked his face.

"So we meet again, dragon-girl," the man growled.

"Who are you? Let my team go."

"Don't worry about your team," the man said with a subtle glance behind him at the three other shinobi captured in the spheres. "I won't hurt them. For now. As for who I am, I'm the leader of the rebels who you so brutally destroyed." Katana drew another sword and readied her stance. "I'll make you a deal, dragon-girl. I challenge you to single combat to the death. If you win, your friends will be released. If I win, your friends are mine to do with what I wish."

"How did you survive?" Katana snapped, casting glances behind him to Team Gai. "The whole place was destroyed. You should never have been able to get out alive."

The man let out a humorless laugh. "I have to say, I'm a very poor leader. I knew the threat you posed when you took out so many of my men so easily. I fled, planning to get revenge on you later, so here I am. Now prepare yourself!"

Katana hardly had a moment to breathe before the man came at her with his axe. She ducked and rolled, wincing as her back hit the ground. She turned and swung her sword, nearly catching the man on the leg, but he caught it on the end of his axe. She swung her other sword while his weapon was disabled, but he caught it on the bracer on his arm. Katana's arms trembled as she fought to keep the rebel leader away. He pressed against her weapons, slowly bringing them closer to her and away from him.

_Shit! With all the chakra I used for the medical ninjutsus, I'm still weak. I can't properly fight a battle to the death like this. I have to take him out quick or he'll overpower me as the battle drags on. I'll keep getting weaker._

She lashed out and kicked the man in the knee where he was unguarded. His grip faltered and Katana pushed him back, getting to her feet and driving his axe into the ground. She slammed her foot into his barrel chest and he stumbled back, but the breastplate he wore prevented further injury. Katana swung at him while he was off balance, but her swords glanced harmlessly off his armor. Gritting her teeth, she aimed for the man's exposed neck beneath his helmet, but the man regained his balance and swung his axe again.

Katana duck and the man followed through with his swing and used its momentum to change the direction. Katana brought up her sword and the blow drove her to the ground on her back. A cry escaped her lips and the axe touched the left side of her face, cutting her along the scar she already had. She could feel her sword bend under the pressure the man was using with his weapon. The axe came closer and rested on her shoulder, Katana's arms shaking as she tried to free herself from beneath the heavy weapon.

"I chose each of my men specifically," the man growled low enough for only her to hear. "We wanted to obliterate the Konohagakure shinobi force, but all our plans failed. Your death will further my failed plan until I can form another army. I repay you for your actions." The man lifted his axe and Katana leaped to her feet before he could bring it down. She sprang away and stabbed her swords into the ground, weaving hand seals swiftly. The man couldn't get close enough to stop her jutsu.

"Katon! Gokakyu no Jutsu: Fireball Technique!" Katana yelled, spewing an enormous fireball at the man. She watched as the man was engulfed in flame and she pick up her swords, waiting for the smoke to clear. But a sudden wall of water burst from the ground, drenching and extinguishing the flames. The man stood unscathed with a hand raised in front of him.

"Impossible! None of the rebels were supposed to be shinobi!"

The man laughed humorlessly. "I made sure to keep my jutsu hidden from all those who came skulking and scouting out the stronghold. You see, I was once a Konoha shinobi, but they refused to raise my rank to jounin. So I left the village and have wanted revenge ever since."

"Fool!" Katana yelled, tightening her grip on her swords and ran at him. She dodged his axe and swung her swords, smashing them into his helmet, dazing the man with the echo of the metal. She ran behind him and stabbed at his neck, catching the skin slightly, but the man spun and knocked her swords away from the intended target.

Katana jumped away, breathing heavily and trembling slightly. The battle was draining her energy and she quickly wove the seals for a Doton. The man initiated another Suiton, but the earth overpowered it, rushing towards the man. He leaped away and into a tree, the earth loosening around the roots and felling the tree quickly. The man jumped away and landed on the ground and Katana stopped her jutsu. She gasped for breath, sitting down heavily on the ground, staring as the man slowly approached her.

"What is going on?" Lee questioned from his sphere, only Neji and Tenten able to hear him. "Katana looks worn out and she has not been fighting for very long. Something is not right."

"She said she needed a lot of chakra to fuel her medical ninjutsu," Tenten reviewed. "Healing my leg probably drained her, so she came into his battle not in full power. That Doton just felled a tree, no doubt using a lot of chakra. She's at her limit. This isn't good."

Neji activated his Byakugan and blinked in surprise; the spheres they were captured in were made of chakra. With the right attack, he could free himself. He went to share his observations with his team, but Katana had slammed her hands into the ground again and performed the Doton once more.

The man was caught off guard and the earth trapped him. It got as high as his mid-thigh before Katana released to jutsu to keep conscious. She rose to her feet and dragged her swords across the ground as she stumbled towards the man. She knocked his axe out of his hand and pressed her swords to his throat. Blood dribbled from the cut next to her scar and her eyes blazed in anger.

"It doesn't matter what state I'm in or how badly I may fair, but when I'm fighting for the welfare of my comrades, I will never lose," Katana growled, glancing at her team in their spheres. _Even if one is a Hyuuga._ She didn't look long enough to catch their expressions and dropped her swords to her sides. The man furrowed his brow in confusion, but Katana lifted her swords and drove them through the man's armor and into his chest. He bellowed in pain and she wrenched her swords away, streams of blood pouring from the holes in his armor.

Katana released the Doton and the man crumpled to the ground. She stood over him for a moment, then turned and began to stagger to her team. She kept her eyes down, shakily sheathing one of her swords and heard Tenten give a cry of alarm. Katana looked up and saw her pointing behind her. Katana spun around and met the man's axe against her sword, averting its path. Blood stained is armor and mouth, but he swung his axe all the more viciously. She ducked and rose behind him, sinking a kick into his back and she raised her sword above her head. But before she could bring it down into him, he caught his balance and swung around, burying his axe blade into Katana's stomach.

"Katana!" Lee and Tenten yelled in unison, horrified.

She cried out loudly and dropped her sword, doubling over the blade. Blood spurted from her mouth and ran down the axe blade, a coarse laugh rising from the man's throat. He jerked the weapon from her body and she stumbled back, swaying on her feet as blood gushed from the wound like water from a broken dam.

"What were you saying about not losing when protecting your comrades?" the man asked mockingly. "Looks like I win, dragon-girl." He lifted his axe above his head, preparing to deal a deathblow to Katana's skull.

"NO!"

Katana's vision faded in and out and she felt weak. She saw the axe descending on her head, but a flash of white stopped it in its path. She left herself falling and the ground met her with it hard surface. She heard something hit the ground near her and footstep passing her. Her breath echoed resoundingly in her ears, the only sound in the world as her vision warped and faded back and forth between color and utter blackness.

"Katana! Stay awake! Don't close your eyes! Come on!"

The voice was distorted and distant but it sounded almost like Neji. She saw him kneeling over her between spans of blackness, occasionally joined by Lee and Tenten. But they were so far away, so terribly far. She became aware of nothing except for the trickle of blood running down her cheek and the agony in her stomach. She heard her breath grow drawn out and faint and the blackness began to thrive, consuming the edges of her vision.

She had tried so hard and had gotten far. She had wanted to help her team, showing she wasn't worthless, especially to Neji. But it didn't matter if this was how it was going to end. Everything she had worked for began to slip through her fingers and she could feel her life spilling away with the blood pouring from her stomach. She coughed, feeling the blood come up her throat. All the times before never mattered and she felt her head grow light.

"Don't fall asleep! Katana!"

But the Hyuuga's voice, no matter how loud it actually was, grew faint and the darkness came to stay. Katana closed her eyes and the ebony void claimed her consciousness.

* * *

Author Note: sorry for the late update. This chapter was written, but there was a glitch in the login, so I couldn't post it. But everything's fixed, so here we have another chapter ^_^ THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY!!! Although the title of this chapter and the ending suggests otherwise, I'm not out of ideas yet! Please don't stop reading! I will try to update as best I can, but school seriously needs to die. The day a time machine is invented, I shall be first on the list to go and kill the dumb ass who said, "Education is good for people! It should rule their entire lives!" Homework is crap, but no teacher seems to understand. *sigh* "Shura" is a way to say fighting if my sources are correct. And "Ryuu" and "Tatsu" are two ways to say dragon. So until next time, peace out.

-cagedbird361


	10. Chapter 9: Forgiven

Chapter 9: Forgiven

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

It got louder and louder, like a sound rising from a thick fog. The darkness was still thick and suffocating, obstinate in releasing its hold. But that single note stabbed at the ebony void, incessant and relentless. It had gone unnoticed before, but slowly, very slowly, it was growing in volume and power. With each pulsing burst of sound, the darkness became a little less thick, a little less smothering, and a little more faded. The noise finally reached a point and stopped growing, delivering its final blow to the blackness. It was still dark, but it seemed lighter now, not as asphyxiating as it had been. And the power to return to the light came in reach, and Katana's eyelids fluttered in her first attempt.

"You're a jack-ass-hole, you know that?"

The jounin kunoichi's eyes snapped open at the familiar voice, assaulted by the harsh light glaring through the half opened curtains. Blinking repeatedly to adjust her pupils to the light after enduring the darkness, Katana saw a figure slowly become clear.

"Anko? What are you doing here? Where am I?" Katana's voice croaked from her throat and she coughed as the words caught against her dry tongue. Her eyes flashed around and the clean white walls and smell of antiseptic gave the signs that she was in the hospital.

"Don't hurt yourself, now," Anko snapped, smacking at Katana's knee with a newspaper she was holding. "After what happened to you, I don't think you could survive catching the common cold."

Katana gave her a questioning look, but the memories of the mission came rushing back. Her hand went to her stomach and she felt a thick bandage wrapped over her skin. She sat up quickly, wincing as her injured muscles tensed. "I remember now. What happened at the end? What happened to my team?"

"Relax, the doctor said not to raise your heart rate to a certain level," Anko growled, pushing Katana back down. "Why you think of your mission and not of yourself after the injury you sustained is beyond me. Your mission was completed and your team is fine. From what I heard, they are all healed and ready to take on their next assignment."

Katana sighed with relief, rubbing her eyes and shaking her head. "How long was I out for?"

"Don't worry. It's only been two years."

"WHAT!" Katana sat bolt upright in alarm, ignoring the explosion of pain from her wound.

Anko burst out laughing, nearly falling from the chair she was sitting on. She doubled over, her entire body racked by her howls of amusement. "I'm joking. I'm joking!" Anko sputtered, wiping tears out of her eyes. "Sorry, I just had to mess with you. You should have seen your face! You deserve it after how much you made me worry about you." Anko's laughter subsided and she cleared her throat with a cough. "You were only unconscious for five days. After the three surgeries you had, I'm actually surprised that you're still not under from the drugs." Katana grabbed the newspaper off the bedside table that Anko had set down and threw it at the older kunoichi. Anko chuckled words of apology, trying to fend off the assault of projectiles Katana was flinging at her. Anko stopped her before Katana could get to her IV stand.

"Don't do that to me, Anko!" Katana snapped, trying to calm herself down unsuccessfully. "You know how literal I am, and the current situation isn't helping the matter!"

"Sorry, sorry," Anko said dismissively, waving her hand and leaning back in her chair with a smirk on her face. Katana grumbled and lay back down on her pillows, staring at the ceiling and pondering about what had happened while she was unconscious.

"Were you my only visitor?" Katana asked before the silence became too uncomfortable.

Anko scoffed. "What do you think you are? A celebrity? Of course I was the only visitor."

"Not even my team?"

"Why would they visit you? Did you establish a special bond or something? They have other duties, you know."

Katana sighed and heard a knock on the door. She looked over as a familiar young girl entered. She was wearing a short navy blue skirt and a pale yellow t-shirt under a red vest instead of the customary medic ninja white robe. Her light pink hair was pulled into a short ponytail, showing off her bright green eyes.

"Katana Suterusu?" she questioned, looking at the clipboard she held. "Hello, my name is Sakura Haruno," she continued after Katana's confirming nod. "I'm the nurse assigned to you."

_Spectacular,_ Katana thought with annoyance. _Just what I need: A primpy young girly-girl as my nurse. She looks younger than me!_ "I've seen you before haven't I?"

"Yeah," Sakura said, twirling the end of her ponytail. "I saw you in the hallway outside the Hokage's Office. I was going to file some papers and you were reporting to your mission. But anyway, I've come to heal your injury. It says here," she pointed to her clipboard, " that you have a severe laceration on your stomach. The final treatment couldn't be given since you were unconscious."

"Okay, so get on with it," Katana snapped. "I want to get out of here as fast as possible."

Anko laughed at Sakura's surprised look. "Try to be patient with her," the special jounin whispered into the young medic's ear as she rose to leave. "She can be bitter and cynical, but once you break through her hide, she could be your best friend. But don't try to get through in one day. You may lose your life or a limb." Anko sauntered out the door, whistling with amusement.

Sakura left after treating Katana's wound, not looking forward to her next visit. Katana had been none too happy with the news that she had to stay for a few more days under observation. Sakura had to endure the snarled comments made by the jounin, and she left a little too quickly for a good impression to be made.

Katana was left to stare at the ceiling in solitude after Sakura left, but she preferred that to the pink-haired medic's company. She closed her eyes, but her thoughts were active where her body wasn't. She thought of the mission and the team she had led, recalling the most minute details that she hadn't thought were so important, reliving each moment.

She could feel the dragon's muscles moving beneath her as she rode it to the stronghold to rescue her team atop its back. She saw the terrified faces of the rebels as she brandished her sword and the ruby blood collecting in puddles around their slaughtered bodies. She could feel the flames lick her body through the force field she had set up to protect herself as Shura-Tatsu engulfed the stronghold in fire. She felt the dragon's claws close around her to pull her from the burning fortress and carry her to the safety of the camp. She could feel the Hyuuga's cold hands on her back as he stitched the wound she had saved him from. She could see the rebel leader attacking her, and she could feel the axe blade cleave her stomach open. Then she saw the flash of white redirect the axe before it hit her skull, and she saw the Hyuuga leaning over her weakening body. Had he actually tried-

A loud knock on the door roused Katana from her thoughts and her eyes flashed open. The door opened slowly and a male about her age stepped into the room. He had light brown spiky hair, his bangs falling over his leaf hitai-ate around his deep evergreen eyes. They shimmered brightly in the light reflecting off the white walls. He wore fishnets on his forearms under a three-quarter sleeve dark navy shirt. His pants were the same color and came to his mid-shin, the rest of his legs bound with white cloth. He wore a green chuunin vest and a long handled axe was strapped to his back. He approached steadily and Katana sat up, making him come to a sudden halt.

"Oh, you're awake," he said quietly. "It's been a while, hasn't it, Katana? How are you?"

Katana stared at the young man, looking at his vest and light brown hair. But she locked his eyes, the deep emerald color destroying the dam and flooding her mind with memories. Memories she had tried so hard to forget. Those green eyes belonged to the only surviving member of her three-man genin team, Riki Shinkan.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

He blinked in surprise, taking an unsure step back. "Er, that wasn't the greeting I expected."

"Well, what were you expecting?" Katana snapped. She cast uneasy glances at the axe strapped to his back. "After all you've done to me, did you honestly expect me to be welcoming?"

He bit his lip uneasily. "But we were teammates."

"Teammates? You consider us teammates? Riki, if we were anything at all, we were enemies. Don't you remember, or are you still as blind as you were when we were children?"

Riki lowered his head. "I wanted to change that. Maybe we could start over?"

"Start over? What are you talking about? You can't have a second chance at a first impression, and choices and actions of the past can't be changed. Our 'bond' was severed when the other two of our team died. I joined the Anbu for a reason after than; I wanted to get away from you."

Riki glared at her, his viridescent eyes growing hard. "And what do you think happened to me after that? I couldn't join the Anbu and I was left with no one to train with. I never wanted to hurt you. Ever. I just-"

"Just what?" Katana spat with contempt. "Are you telling me that you didn't mean to say all those mocking, degrading words? They say that actions speak louder than word, but words can linger in the mind long after any physical blow has healed. Every time you slandered me, every time you made rude comments, and every time you shot me an expression of hatred I felt your distain for me grow. I only gave you what I received: I reflected the anger you showed me, so my actions are not my fault. You brought it upon yourself."

"But I-"

"Why are you really here, Riki? Do you just want to stick my nose in what I did? I wanted to have a bond with my team, the kind of bond you hear so many others speaking of. But you and the others were never very welcoming, and I had to act the same or risk losing myself to your remarks."

"Just hear me out, would you?" Riki snapped angrily. Katana narrowed her eyes and set her jaw, folding her arms over her chest. "I've changed in the four and a half years since we've been on a team. I saw you several times before when you were in the Anbu, and the look in your eyes, that cold, dark, injured look made me realize it was mostly my fault. I've wanted to make amends ever since I had that revelation, but then you left on your mission. I found out you were here so I came to do what I've waited almost five years for. I wanted to say I'm sorry."

"Why should I believe you?" Katana said skeptically. "After all this time, after all you've done, your words are hollow."

"Then what about this?" Riki rummaged in his waist pouch and retrieved a strip of material. He let it dangle between his fingertips, and Katana saw it wasn't just a piece of cloth. Between the two equal lengths of the black silk was a red jewel with a small slit of an onyx stone in the center, giving the appearance of a dragon's eye. Katana's eyes widened and Riki stepped forward, lowering the necklace into her open palm.

"This choker, I thought you had-"

"Yeah, remember when we went on the mission that ended in the others' deaths? Remember the dispute we got into after they got captured? I ripped that off of you neck and threw it into the river we were standing by." Riki gave a small chuckle. "You tried to kill me after that. But when you ran off into the forest, I saw it had gotten caught on a rock and I pulled it out of the water. I had intended to keep it for myself just to piss you off, but now I'm returning it. I'm sorry for what I've done."

"But why? After all this time, why do you want to make amends?" Katana looked up with an expression of misunderstanding on her face. "You hated me; you said it yourself. What makes you want to be so friendly now?"

Riki set his mouth in a sad line. "I've learned that, in this life and occupation, you need all the friendships and allies you can get. Think about what I've said." Riki turned and walked to the door. "I'm ready to talk when you are." He slipped out of the room and closed the door and Katana was left in the silence of the thoughts her former teammate had evoked.

She sat just staring at the choker she held in her hand, unaware of how much time had passed until there was another knock on the door. She stashed her necklace under her pillow as the door opened and three people entered. Katana looked in surprise as Team Gai stepped in, shocked by their presence.

"You came," she said in a low voice.

"Well, yeah, duh," Tenten said with a bright smile. Lee walked further in and she grabbed Neji's sleeve and pulled him away from the door. "This was the first chance we've gotten. There've been a ton of assignments since the stronghold was destroyed. The clean up has been rough."

"But it is nothing we cannot handle," Lee chimed in, beaming foolishly. "It is good to have the Village unthreatened again. It would have been impossible without your help."

"I highly doubt that, Lee," Katana mumbled, absently tracing the scar on the left side of her face. "But it's good news to hear everything is in order."

They talked for a while, Lee and Tenten filling Katana in on what had happened while she was unconscious. Neji didn't speak the entire time, just leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He was the farthest away and kept his gaze fixed on the window. When Lee noticed how much "precious, youthful time" had passed, he suggested that they go and continue helping with the remains of the stronghold. Neji was the first to the door.

"Hold on, Hyuuga," Katana called after she said her goodbyes to Tenten and Lee. "I want to talk with you for a moment." The annoyance was plain on the Neji's face and Tenten gave a giggle that made him all the more irritated. Katana waited until Lee and Tenten had left.

"What do you want?" Neji growled before Katana could speak.

"Did you stop the rebel leader from putting his axe into my head?"

Neji raised one of his fine eyebrows. "Yes, it was I. I discovered that the spheres he had us trapped in were made of chakra. I was able to destroy them with Jyuuken so I could get to you. We brought you back after you fell unconscious."

"Then you saved my life," Katana murmured, lowering her head. "I owe you one, Hyuuga." He gave his signature "hn" and walked to the door. "Hey, Hyuuga." Neji glanced back at her. "Thank you. And I'm sorry for anything I may have said or done to you. I have a reason, believe me. Maybe I'll tell you sometime."

"Your business doesn't concern me," he muttered and rested his hand on the doorknob. "But, as you said, when it comes to fighting for a comrade, one must do everything they can. I simply returned the favor you did us when we were stuck in the stronghold."

"So it seems I'm the one with the debt now," Katana said with a smirk. "It will be paid back, I promise that."

"Do what you will," Neji said and opened the door. "And you're welcome."

Katana watched him walk out the door and she lay back down with a smirk. Making amends wasn't as hard as she thought it would be.

* * *

Author Note: Ummm, yeah. Another chapter. I've been doing my best, but I'm thinking I'm going to update every weekend if not sooner. School is still a bitch, pardon my French. Buuuut, some things can't be changed. This chapter was a little more mellow than others I have had, but this is the introduction to my other OC, Riki Shinkan. I may elaborate on what happened to the others of his and Katana's team, but I may not. I shall see how things turn out. Anyway, I don't own anything except my OCs. Reviews always make me happy, and I thank all of those who have read my fic ^_^ So until next time, peace out.

-cagedbird361


	11. Chapter 10: UUr Hand

Chapter 10: U+Ur Hand

**Rebel Stronghold Obliterated: Hokage says "All Is Well"**

Katana looked up from the Village's newspaper, _The Will of Fire_, to Anko with a raised eyebrow. The older kunoichi grinned as Katana scanned the article, finding information she already knew. There were quotes from Lee and Tenten, but her participation was relatively ignored. Her name wasn't even mentioned, but she didn't mind; it was better that certain people in the Village were unaware of her existence.

"So, what do you think?" Anko chirped, flicking the newspaper and nudging Katana with her foot.

"What's to think about?" Katana asked, rolling up the paper and tossing it on the bedside table. "I know about what the article says because I made most of it happen. At least the facts are straight and it's not filled with the usual propaganda and lies most newspapers stuff themselves with."

Anko laughed and tossed a bag into Katana's lap, rising to her feet. "That's some of the stuff you wanted. I'd stay longer, but I have a mission. See you later and try not to go insane in here. But the white walls don't help the matter, do they?" She practically skipped out the door and left Katana to roll her eyes.

The bag contained a change of clothes, a notebook and several pens, and a box of dango. Relieved that she didn't have to eat the hospital food for the rest of the day, she tore open the box and bit into one of the sticks. Gnawing at the sweet food, Katana retrieved the newspaper and flipped to one of the pages in the back and pulled out one of the pens. She busied herself with trying to solve the Sudoku puzzle. She was about to rip the paper in half out of frustration when there was a knock on the door.

A pale-faced medic walked into the room, glancing between her and the clipboard. "Um," the she began, looking uneasily at Katana. Sakura had clearly spread the word that she wasn't very friendly. "Your tests can back normal and everything seems to be functioning properly. You're free to go anytime you want."

"Finally!" Katana rolled over and stood up on the cold floor. "I don't think I could have spent another day in this room without punching something." The medic blinked and edged away slowly, exiting the room after giving Katana a slip of paper with her signature on it.

She pulled off the hospital gown and tugged the clothes Anko had brought onto her body. Yet, although they were full length, the pants were tighter than she would normally wear them. Shaking it off, Katana pulled on her new zippered sweater, her other one stained with her blood, and left the hospital all to eagerly, adjusting the tightness of the choker around her neck. Cramped from being bedridden for almost two weeks, she went to Anko's apartment to search for her swords. Yet it proved futile and she was left to train with only kunai and shuriken.

Katana walked through the Village, savoring the sunlight after being stuck in a room, and headed to one of the training fields. She neared one that was hardly ever used, and heard a voice calling her name. Glancing behind her, she saw Tenten running toward her.

"Hey there! Finally out of the hospital?" the weapon kunoichi said with a smile.

"Yeah, and it's about time. I was about to break a window or something and I need to train to let off some steam. By the way, do you know what happened to my swords?"

Tenten thought for a minute before pulling a scroll from her waist pouch. She opened it and pressed her hand to one off the many symbols inscribed onto the paper. There was a puff of smoke and Tenten held out Katana's back-plate apparatus with her four swords in their respective sheaths. Katana took her weapons and bit her thumb.

"This reminds me of something," Katana said, swiping blood over her palm. She slammed it into the ground and lifted a medium sized scroll from the cloud of smoke. It was in a metal container carved with dragons. She opened the scroll and traced the seal with her thumb. There was another puff of smoke and Katana held a large scroll under her arm. A scroll Tenten recognized. "I believe you thought you lost this?"

"My scroll! I thought it was destroyed in the fire at the stronghold." Tenten gratefully took her scroll and slid it into the strap that kept it against her back. "You don't know what this scroll means to me. I have so many valuable weapons in this thing, I was really freaking out that I would have to replace them all. Is there anything I can do to repay you? Oh! I have an idea! Come with me."

Tenten grabbed Katana's hand and pulled her away from the training field. She dragged the jounin towards the center of town, ignoring the protests and complaints fired in her direction. Tenten was headed to a group of nine people, waving the arm that wasn't forcing Katana to follow her.

"Hey, everyone!" Tenten called, directing all eyes to the approaching females. "I want you to meet someone." She finally came to a stop right in front of the others, Katana narrowly avoiding slamming into her back. She regained her balance and scanned the group uneasily, seeing a wide variety of people. "This is Katana Suterusu. She was our leader when we destroyed the stronghold."

"So you're the unmentioned leader from the newspaper article," a blonde haired girl said with interest. "That's no easy feat, you know."

Katana shoved her hands into her sweater pockets and shrugged, wondering why Tenten had dragged her into the situation. Meeting new people wasn't one of her favorite pastimes.

"So, this is team ten," Tenten continued. "Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Chouji Akimichi." The girl with the blonde hair who had spoken wrapped her arms around the necks of the boys on either side of her. Katana nodded to them, taking note of Shikamaru's annoyed expression and lazy attitude, Ino's hyper attitude, and Chouji's size.

_Is this the girl that Sakura told me about?_ Ino thought. _She seems nice enough…_

_Great another troublesome girl_, Shikamaru thought, rolling his eyes after giving Katana a nod of acknowledgment.

_I wonder if she's any good at cooking? _Chouji wondered, opening a bag of chips and emptying the contents into his mouth.

"This is team seven, Sai, Sakura Haruno, and Naruto Uzumaki."

"Hi there, dattebayo!" Naruto cried, making Katana start despite herself. "Remember my name; I'm going to become Hokage, dattebayo!"

"Shut it, Naruto!" Sakura growled, smacking him in the back of the head. "Sorry about him. It's good to see you out of the hospital." Sakura gave Katana a smile, but the jounin saw it was forced and she was just trying to seem friendly while around the others.

Sai didn't say anything. He just stared at Katana with his coal black eyes, his chalk white skin making them seem even darker. Katana gave his cut off shirt one look and knew there was something suspiciously strange about him. But Tenten was continuing with the introductions before Katana could give in anymore thought.

"And this is team eight, Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and his dog Akamaru."

"Hey there," Kiba said smoothly, giving Katana a warm grin, showing off his pointed canines.

"U-uh, h-h-hello," Hinata stammered, fidgeting with her fingers. Katana glared at her coldly, making her start to shake gently. But Katana calmed herself and turned to the other member.

Shino was like Sai; he said nothing, but seemed even more secretive. His clothing and dark-tinted goggles gave him a cold and collected appearance; making it seem like he wasn't part of the world. He seemed like the kind of person that wouldn't make any contribution to a cause, yet had hidden talents that could pull his teammates out of sticky situations.

There was a bark and Akamaru walked up to Katana, sniffing her hand. She bent slightly at the waist, not needing to crouch because the dog was so big. She scratched behind his ears and Akamaru's tongue lolled out of his mouth.

"He's really big, isn't he?" she said, looking up at Kiba.

"Yup, Akamaru and I have been together since he was born," Kiba said proudly. "He used to be able to ride on my head, but now I can ride on his back."

"How interesting," Katana mused, straightening up. "Well, it was nice to meet you all. Now, please excuse me, but I'm going off to train."

"Hey, can I come?"

The group turned to face the voice, and Katana sighed heavily. Riki stepped forward and Katana touched her choker protectively. He stepped up behind Katana, giving the others and awkward grin.

"Everyone, this is Riki Shinkan," Katana said dismissively. "He was on my genin team. We just met up after a while a few days ago." Riki glanced at her and gave a subtle wave. "So, as I was saying, I'm going to train. Alone." Riki looked shot down and Katana waved a farewell.

"Hey, don't be a stranger," Kiba said, chasing after her and walking beside her once he caught up. "If you need any company, we're always here." Kiba then glanced down at Katana's tight pants and grabbed at her rear. She let out a cry of surprise as his hand closed firmly around her butt and she whirled around. Kiba had a mischievous grin on his face, but Katana grabbed his shoulders and drove her knee into his crotch.

Kiba let out a shriek of pain, his voice shooting up at least three octaves. He crumpled to the ground, clutching himself and swearing in a higher voice than normal. Akamaru snarled and leaped to his master's aid, but one glare from Katana sent him cowering with his tail between his legs. She was breathing heavily and glanced around at the group.

Riki, Chouji, Shikamaru, Sakura, Ino, Hinata, and Tenten's eyes had widened, and Sai and Shino were unfazed. Naruto was clutching his own groin with a grimace of pain, his sympathy for Kiba obviously displayed, which earned him a vicious punch from Sakura. Katana muttered an apology to them and walked stiffly away towards a training field.

After the initial shock had worn off and Kiba's voice had returned to normal, Riki let out a chuckle and a grin. Everyone turned to him and Naruto and Shikamaru helped Kiba off the ground. Riki cast him a glance that said 'you really shouldn't have done that'.

"I remember when Katana and I were only genin," Riki said as if he was reliving a long lost memory. "She's changed a lot since those times, but, in some ways, she hasn't changed at all."

* * *

Neji slammed his palm into a tree, shattering the bark and ending his Jyuuken combination. Exhaling, he stood straight and wiped away the sweat that had accumulated on his face. He deactivated his Byakugan and turned around, beginning to walk away. He heard a faint noise and ducked as a kunai whizzed over his head. Looking up, he saw Katana standing in the trees, a blank expression on her face.

"Will there ever be a time when I can train without you ruining my time of peace?" he growled as she leaped from the branches and landed soundlessly on the ground.

"Don't worry, I don't want to fight you this time," Katana said quietly, approaching slowly.

"Then what do you want? It had better have a purpose because I don't want you wasting my time for superfluous reasons."

"It has a purpose, I assure you." Katana lowered her head and ran a hand over the scarred side of her face. "Remember I said I had a reason for hating your clan? I want to tell you what it is. I think it will clear the air and you can understand me better."

"I don't want to hear your reasons," Neji snapped. "Just let me train in peace."

"No, Hyuuga," Katana said firmly. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Please, I need to get this off my mind. Just hear me out. You deserve to know the truth since you saved my life."

"Fine, but be quick," Neji muttered, folding his arms over his chest and leaning against a tree next to the one he had shattered.

Katana exhaled and turned her head away slightly. "I've never been close with my family. I'm the only female to have our kekkei genkai in the most recent generation, so everything rests on me. Of course the males could pass on the trait, but females have a higher chance; offspring receive more genetic information from their mothers. Anyway, they wanted to make sure our legacy lived on, so I was watched like a criminal since I was a child. I hated every minute of it.

"My family had planned out my entire future since before I was born. The moment I could crawl was when my training started, if you can consider it training, that is. I thought of it more as torture. As a toddler, I learned things most chuunin would be struggling with. But I could do nothing about it. In the end, I was as caged as you are, just without the curse mark.

"Anyway, I was placed in the Academy, for reasons I'm still not sure of. While there I learned nothing and I was taken out before the first year was over. But not before I fell victim to one of the cruelest emotions in the world: I may have been young, but I was mature for my age and I developed a liking for another one of the students. A strong liking. It was Hyuuga, and my family didn't approve.

"They had already chosen several people they wanted me to be with when I got older, and they didn't want me developing feelings for anyone besides who they chose. So my brother formed a plan to make sure I kept my mind on being a shinobi. Several things happened to me and days after I joined the Anbu, he, a large group of my other family, and a Hyuuga, not the one from the Academy, attacked me. The Hyuuga tried to-"

"Neji!"

Katana shut her mouth and she and Neji looked in the direction of the voice. Lee was running towards them, waving his arms. Katana glanced at Neji and sighed, turning her head away as Lee came up to them.

"Hello, Katana," Lee said with a nod, but directed his further attention towards Neji. "Lady Tsunade has just called us on a mission. We must leave immediately."

"Fine, I will be right there," Neji said and motioned that Lee could leave. He turned back to Katana once Lee was out of earshot. "I have to-"

"It's fine," Katana interrupted. "Go and complete your duty. Maybe I'll finish my story another time. Maybe-," Katana leaped into the trees without a backwards glance, "-when I'm ready."

* * *

Author Note: Snow day+movies+boredom=another chapter. That's my equation it seems. After shoveling my entire driveway and patio, I needed to curl up with a cup of hot chocolate and write, so here you have it. Anyway, this chapter was a little funny and a little serious. Sorry to all you Kiba fans out there. Don't hate me please (I think Kiba is cool, don't get me wrong) but he was the only one I could use for that scene without making them OOC. I promise I will finish Katana's story in the future and I apologize for the suspense but I think it adds a little something to the story XD. So, until next time, peace out.

-cagedbird361


	12. Chapter 11: Blow Me Away

Chapter 11: Blow Me Away

Katana yawned and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, grumbling at the sunlight streaming through the window. Glancing at her alarm clock, it let out a loud shriek the moment her eyes fell upon the digital numbers. Smacking it into silence, Katana rolled from the warmth of her blankets and shivered at the sudden change of temperature before she could change into her normal clothes. She tied her leaf hitai-ate around her forehead and slipped her zippered sweater over her shoulders, catching her reflection in a mirror Anko had recently put in the room. Giving the scar on the face of her reflection a look of distain, she walked out of her room into the kitchen of Anko's apartment.

In search for something for breakfast, Katana was amused yet annoyed that she could only find leftover dango from Anko's frequent trips to the dumpling stand in the refrigerator. Forced to make do with a few slices of toast and a half-empty box of cereal, Katana leaned against the counter, munching the dry carbohydrates, when she heard approaching footsteps outside the door. It was forcibly opened and Anko stood in the doorway, looking battered and worn.

"Arriving!" she trumpeted, still as hyperactive as ever despite her haggard appearance. Yet as soon as she noticed Katana standing in the kitchen, half eaten piece of toast in her hand, the older kunoichi seemed put out. "Oh, you're already awake," she muttered, her hopes of having some fun in rudely awakening Katana put on ice.

"Yeah, and a good thing, too, it seems," Katana murmured, jamming the rest of her toast into her mouth, watching Anko retrieve one of the leftover dango boxes from the refrigerator and plopping herself into a chair at the small table. "So how was your mission?"

"Long and boring," Anko growled, sinking her teeth into the dango. "It was easy enough, but we ran into a bit of trouble. And these suckers just wouldn't die! I mean, when you get stabbed with a kunai and hit square in the face with a Katon, you're expected to drop dead, right? But we couldn't get these guys to keel over! That's what delayed us so much, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle." Anko snickered and licked her lips before moving onto the next dango stick. "So what's new with you? Meet any new people?"

"Actually, yes, I have," Katana said, thinking back to the previous day when she had met the Konoha Rookie Nine. "Some were nice enough, the other Hyuuga didn't seem very threatening, but the Inuzuka guy I met was a little to… forward."

"What do you mean by that?" Anko questioned with a quirked eyebrow, but her expression melted to incredulousness when Katana turned her head away. "Please tell me he isn't dead."

"No, don't worry, he's alive. He just won't be having any children." Anko's jaw dropped slightly. "Yeah, I sterilized him."

Anko burst out laughing, nearly falling off of her chair. Katana bit her lip and picked up her swords and back-plate apparatus. She muttered her plans for training to Anko, but the older kunoichi wasn't paying attention, still plagued with her hysterical laughter.

* * *

Riki plodded absently around the familiar streets of the Village, scenting the thick, aromatic air with a smirk. He was bored, as he usually was; he was not needed for a mission and found training on his own unproductive. He aimlessly wandered, just soaking in the heavy rays of the warm sun though his long-sleeved dark navy shirt. Riki glanced to the sky and saw a bird coasting on a thermal, returning from the direction of a training field. He watched it with interest, knowing it was one of the birds sent by the Hokage to summon shinobi to missions.

It dove out of the thermal and headed towards him, setting his heart fluttering in hope that it might be for him. But the bird passed over his head and changed its direction, swooping back to the Hokage's Tower. Feeling his heart sink, Riki sighed and trudged on, jamming his hands into his pockets and bowing his head. But he suddenly felt a sharp sensation on his shoulder and whipped around. The bird squawked as its perch moved beneath its feet, digging its sharp talons into his shoulder and shirt. Riki glanced into its eyes and it cocked its head before quickly taking wing and sailing away.

Riki, with a lighter step and an eager heart, leaped up onto a nearby rooftop and sprinted over to the Hokage's Tower with chakra on his feet. He was outside the Hokage's Office in record time, brushing dirt off his pants and clumsily fixing his wind-tousled hair. He knocked and Shizune answered the door, beckoning him inside. He stood before the Hokage's desk, watching her pressing the Hokage's Seal on pieces of paper from a large stack of documents. She was relatively ignoring him until there was another knock on the door ten minutes later.

"Glad you could make it, Katana" Tsunade muttered as the female jounin entered the office. "It took you long enough."

"Sorry, Lady Hokage," she spoke sheepishly, casting her eyes to the side. "I got a little tied up at the training field. Anko Mitarashi met me as I was leaving and started yelling at me for… something I did. It was a little difficult to get away from her; I'm sure you know." Katana glanced over and saw Riki standing several feet away from her. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Why is it that every person I bring in to be on a team with you, you greet with a swear-word?" Tsunade growled, rubbing her eyes and setting the Seal down. Katana curled her upper lip at Riki before turning her attention to the Hokage. "I called you here for a mission. All you have to do is deliver this package to the Daimyo of the Fire Country." She lifted a small box that rested comfortably in her palm. "The mission is classified as A-rank because of what's in the package and its value. There will inevitably be a few rouges after you, so keep on your toes and whatever you do, don't open the package."

"Understood," Katana stated firmly, taking the package and the mission scroll. She bowed respectfully and walked out of the room, leaving Riki behind. He hastily followed after her, saying a quick farewell.

"Hey, slow down," Riki called, finally catching up to his former teammate. "Geez, you're in a hurry, aren't you."

"Don't push it, Riki," she growled, slipping the package into her waist pouch. He looked at her in confusion, but saw her fierce glare melt and she sighed. "Sorry, I'm so used to the way you were. When we were younger, you would say something like that, and then call me a 'weakling' or say some other snappy phrase to piss me off. It's really strange not to hear it, actually. I have to remember that I've forgiven you." Katana touched the choker around her neck, hidden by the high collar of her zippered sweater.

"Well, if you put that aside, it's going to be just like old times, right, 'Tana?"

Katana whirled around drew a kunai, pressing it to Riki's chest. He back-peddled, but she advanced, running him up against a wall. The expression on his face was pure shock and something else Katana didn't bother to identify. "Call me 'Tana again and you'll end up like Kiba." Katana walked away swiftly after her message was clear, sheathing her kunai while the shock on Riki's face melted into fear. If the men of Konoha weren't careful, the population was going to be decreasing very quickly.

* * *

Team Gai bowed respectfully to the Daimyo, their mission complete. The Daimyo's daughter was safely escorted to her father's domain, and she flashed Neji a particularly bright smile paired with a wink. A smirk grew on Tenten's face as she saw him conveniently advert his pale eyes so he failed to witness the flirtatious gesture. After the Daimyo paid them the respectively large sum of money, Gai quickly exclaimed his goal to reach the Village in a day and a half, although it would take at least twice that time.

They set off back home immediately, Lee and Gai taking a large lead and leaving Neji and Tenten to follow distantly behind. Their progress was faster than they would have liked, but the spandex-wearing members of their team would leave them behind and scold them for their "un-youthful" speed later. That was one chastisement they didn't want to endure.

Tenten was glad the mission was over. She wasn't sure she would have been able to handle anymore of the Daimyo's daughter's flirting with Neji without punching the girl in her make-up-covered nose. Her advances had been not only constant, but a little too forward, but Tenten was happy Neji had kept himself composed. Somehow, he had been able to indirectly turn her down in some crafty way only he could pull off every time. Tenten had let a smirk creep up her lips when she heard a cry from up ahead.

"Was that Lee and Gai sensei?" she questioned in disbelief.

"It certainly sounded like it. Let's go."

They quickened their pace and Neji activated is Byakugan, scanning the area up ahead. Lee and Gai came into view, restrained in some way. He focused his eyes, but he couldn't detect the force keeping them in place. They rapidly approached and as they landed in the area where the spandex-wearing members of their team were located, Tenten let out a shriek and was pulled by an unseen force to be by Lee and Gai. Neji ran towards them, but before he could reach his captured teammates, the unseen force became visible. One person each held the others, kunai pressed to their throats.

"Make another move and your teammates die," a cold voice snarled. Neji searched around, but the owner of the voice was nowhere to be found. He felt something cold and sharp lay against his neck and a tall man materialized out of the air in front of him. He wore all black and held a kunai to Neji's throat, locking the Hyuuga with piercing brown eyes. Neji was taken aback; the man's eyes were familiar and he had a terrible sense of déjà vu.

"Who are you?" Neji growled, keeping his voice even as the blade pressed against his neck.

"My name is Gaidoku, if you must know," the man responded. "We've been looking for one such as you." The others holding the rest of Team Gai sniggered and let out inaudible whispers, making an uneasy feeling spread over the Konohagakure ninja.

"What do you want with me?" Neji questioned, hardening his gaze and setting his jaw.

"Someone I know quite well has had a little trouble with one such as you," Gaidoku said with something close to amusement. "I'm doing her a favor. Now, if you want to get out of here alive, you'll have to fight me. If you lose, you're life is mine. But if you win, you live but your teammates die. The choice is yours." Neji stared at the man and his words about a favor made one name ring in his head: _Katana_. He looked back at the Gaidoku's eyes and knew why they were familiar; Katana had the exact same eyes. "Think fast!"

Gaidoku removed his kunai from Neji's throat and drove it towards his chest. Neji leaped backwards, drawing his own kunai and catching his opponent's before it hit his flesh. Neji slid to a halt and thrust his palm forward, nearly catching Gaidoku in the shoulder. But the older man knocked Neji's hand away with his free arm, dislodging his kunai and swinging at the Hyuuga's face. Neji dodged the blade and heard a cry from Tenten and he snapped his head in her direction. The man holding her had pressed his kunai harder into her throat, drawing a thin line of blood.

"Don't get distracted!" Gaidoku snarled, burying his fist into Neji's chest. The Hyuuga doubled over the man's fist, then disappeared in a puff of smoke. Gaidoku spun around and barely caught Neji's kunai as he leaped from the side. Neji drove his palm forward and Gaidoku was forced to release his kunai to dodge his strike. Neji sprang forward, kunai poised, but the man wove three hand seals and disappeared.

Neji froze and scanned the area with his Byakugan, but even his all-seeing eyes couldn't detect where Gaidoku had vanished. He felt a sudden blow strike him in the back of the skull and he stumbled forward, whirling around to see an empty space. Another blow clipped him across the cheek, snapping his head to one side. He looked up and saw Gaidoku appear in front of him, holding a scroll.

_What kind of jutsu is this?_ Neji thought in horrified confusion. _It can't be a normal transparency jutsu; I can't even detect him with my Byakugan. What is it?_

Gaidoku opened the scroll and bit his thumb, tracing the lone kanji on the paper with blood. Placing his palm over it, an enormous broadsword appeared in a cloud of smoke and his closed his hand around the hilt, tucking the scroll into his waist pouch. He brandished the sword swiftly, moving it easily for such a large weapon. Neji readied his stance, turning his head to spit out a clot of blood that had collected on his tongue from the blow to his face. A malicious grin had spread over Gaidoku's features and he leaped forward, sword raise for a blow.

Neji could never be thankful enough for his training with Tenten, but for this battle, his gratitude went to Katana. He lifted his kunai and leaped out of the sword's path, but it took the man much less time to recover from his missed swing than he thought it would. Neji stepped backwards, catching the sword on his kunai, but the weight of the sword drove his arm down. He narrowly avoided getting his shoulder split in two before he was able to advert its angle. He drove the sword into the ground, landing a solid kick to Gaidoku's jaw.

Sending the older shinobi reeling backwards, Neji advanced with his hand reared back. An expression of surprise bloomed over Gaidoku's features and was unable to successfully dodge the blow. Neji's Jyuuken strike landed firmly on the man's left shoulder, a cry of pain rising into the air. Neji moved to continue his combination but Gaidoku used his falling momentum and rolled across the ground. Neji stepped away to keep his balance and Tenten let out another cry.

"Gaidoku told us to make things a little _difficult_ if things weren't going his way," the man holding a blade to Tenten's throat growled, slowly running his kunai across her neck. She winced and Neji tightened his grip on his own kunai. "So what do you chose? Your life or _hers_?"

Neji ducked as Gaidoku swung his sword from behind, nearly catching him across the back. He turned and dodged the sword again, noticing the older shinobi was only using his right arm. Neji struck with his palm again, but Gaidoku sidestepped and swung his sword. Neji quickly used Kaiten, jarring his sword from his grasp and sending it spinning away into the trees. Neji slowed from his rotation and immediately used Kuushou, sending the man flying into a tree, smashing into it, and landing at the roots in a crumpled heap.

Neji looked over at his team to see that Tenten wasn't the only one with a slight trickle of blood running down her neck. Lee and Gai were in similar predicaments and the grins plastered on the faces of their captors boded no good. A flash of movement at the corner of his blind spot attracted Neji's attention behind himself, and he dove to the side just a moment to late. He felt Gaidoku's blade slide across his side, creating a deep gash, a vibrant crimson stain growing over his white shirt. He stumbled back in surprise and the older shinobi cracked his elbow against Neji's ear. The Hyuuga lost his balance and fell to the ground and looked up in shock as the man lifted his sword above his head, but the blow across his ear left Neji unable to react.

_How could I let this happen?_ he wondered as he stared up at the blade that would bring his death. _I'm a jounin; I should be able to handle simple opponents like this. Why couldn't I beat him? _Neji glanced over and saw a pile of wood where Gaidoku had hit the tree, seeing he must have used a Substitution Jutsu to retaliate so quickly. Neji saw the sword begin to descend when the telltale _schluk_ of someone being stabbed and a cry rose from Team Gai's direction.

Gaidoku froze and they both looked to see the man holding Gai sensei swaying before falling over onto the ground. The man next to Lee looked over in alarm, only for the _schluk_ to sound again and his eyes grow wide, a gush of blood spurting from his flank.

"What in Kami's name is this?" Gaidoku gasped as the man holding Tenten met the same demise. They looked everywhere, but the source of the killing was nowhere to be found. Team Gai, now free, were unsure whether they should move; the unseen force may have been on their side, but it couldn't be determined officially. Neji looked up at Gaidoku as he lifted his sword higher, preparing to finish the job no matter the circumstances. He brought his blade down, but a large gash opened on his arm, causing him to drop his blade and look wildly around. Another gash opened across his thigh and the tendons on the back of his knee were severed, causing him to fall to the ground. The flesh one his neck suddenly indented, as if a pointed object was pressing into it, and a humorless laugh rose into the air.

"You ask what this is?" questioned a voice between Neji and Gaidoku. "I would expect someone to recognize their own jutsu." Disbelief covered Gaidoku's face and his eyes went wide as the space between him and his target was filled as a figure materialized. "Guess who."

Katana swept her sword across the man's neck, a gurgle of pain choking out of his throat. Katana watched as he fell face first into the ground and she buried her sword into his back forcefully, making in inevitable that he was dead.

"Neji!" Tenten cried, running to his side as he placed a hand over his wound, wincing slightly before he could compose himself. Two more figures dropped from the trees, belonging to Riki and Sakura. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Interesting story," Riki muttered, scratching the back of his neck. "Katana and I went on a mission the day after your team left. We were headed back to the Village and Katana said she sensed something and shot off in a different direction, telling me to get a few medic ninja from the Village. Conveniently enough, Sakura was out searching for medicinal herbs, so I didn't have to go the entire way home."

"What did you sense?" Lee asked, resting his round eyes on Katana.

"Them," was all she said, nudging Gaidoku with her toe, an expression of anger gently shadowing her face.

"Who are they? And what was the technique you all used?" Neji questioned. "I couldn't even detect you with my Byakugan."

"The jutsu we were using requires a large amount of chakra to initiate," Katana began with something close to regret. "It creates a 'cloak of chakra', so to speak. We are invisible to the outside world, and, because your Byakuga requires chakra to use, its power was nullified. The chakra canceled each other out, so your technique was rendered useless when you tried to look at me. This technique is how the Suterusu Clan got its name, for it is our kekkei genkai."

"Our?" Tenten sputtered. "So you mean that these people-?"

"Yeah, those three are my cousins, and this one-" she nudged Gaidoku again "-is my uncle."

* * *

Author Note: More suspense and things left unanswered. I can be so mean at times XD So I discovered I made a boo-boo. I did a little online research and discovered that female Anbu members have the tattoo on the right shoulder, not the left. So from now on, Katana's tattoo is on the right, so please disregard what was said earlier in the story. I may change it if I have time, but I may be too lazy to even bother. I plan to update this weekend so everyone won't have to wait too long. Thank you to all who have read my story and an extra thank you to all who have reviewed. You make me very very happy :3 I don't own Naruto, just my OCs. And I don't own the chapter titles, because I'm sure some people have recognized the pattern by now. So until next time, peace out.

-cagedbird361


	13. Chapter 12: The Poison

Chapter 12: The Poison

"Your uncle?!"

"Yes, sadly," Katana murmured, wiping her sword on the grass and sheathing it into its respective place at her back. She threw a reproachful glare at each of her four family members before turning her attention to Neji. "What happened to you, Hyuuga? You actually got hit?"

"Don't mock him!" Tenten snapped, her gaze hard. "He was just trying to protect us. And it was my fault in a way. I distracted him and made him lose his focus."

"Never mind whose fault it was," Sakura cut in, kneeling to Neji's side. "Let me just heal him so we can get back to the Village." She studied the wound intently, but furrowed her brow at one point. "Why is the skin around the wound purple?"

Katana stiffened and spun around. "Did you say purple?" She blanched when Sakura nodded. Katana turned and picked up Gaidoku's sword and began to examine the blade. "This is not good. Did you get hit with this sword?" Neji nodded and Sakura lifted her hands to his side.

"Whatever, I'll just heal it."

"NO! Don't heal it!" Everyone jumped at the volume of Katana's voice. She was holding her uncle's sword out, staring at the blade.

"What do you mean?" Sakura said with an uneasy look. "Do you want him to bleed to death?" Neji let out a cough, covering his mouth with the hand not over his wound.

"Damn, it's already started," Katana whispered so they could hardly hear her. "Sakura, look at this blade. Look past the blood on the edge. Do you see that line of blue residue?" Sakura nodded and noticed some of the blood on the edge was purple as well. "My uncle's name was 'Gaidoku' for a reason. It means 'poison', and he was a master at all things toxic. You're looking at one of his most deadly concoctions: Shinobi's Bane."

"But poisons are no trouble for me," Sakura said with a haughty flip of her hair. "All I have to do is extract it. There's a medical ninjutsu for that, you know."

"It's not that easy," Katana said quietly, her tone morbid and her eyes unblinking. "This is no ordinary poison. It was my uncle's own invention; he extracted certain qualities from other poisons and blended them together. The result is what you see affecting Hyuuga." Neji coughed again, earning him a worried and alarmed look from Tenten. "This poison enters the keirakukei from wherever it can get under the skin. It works its way through the body until it reaches the lungs. Slowly, very slowly, it will eat away at the lung cells, making it more and more difficult to breath. It doesn't stop until the lungs are obliterated, but the one who is poisoned is already dead. And the worst part is it feeds on chakra. That's why it's called Shinobi's Bane: because it is the only poison known to take out a shinobi because of their chakra, something they all have."

"This isn't natural!" Tenten sputtered. "There's no such poison that could do that! I think you're bluffing. I never did trust you when it came to Neji's life." Katana glared daggers at the weapon kunoichi, a response quick on her lips, but she was stopped.

"Is there an antidote?" Neji asked quietly. His voice was already slightly raspy and he coughed after he finished speaking.

"You said it would work slowly," Sakura accused, planting her hands on her hips.

"It normally does, but because Hyuuga has such a large amount of chakra and his keirakukei is developed more than a normal shinobi, it's working faster. A little too fast…" Katana glanced at him and he placed a hand over his chest, bowing his head. "There is only one antidote I know of. I just hope my uncle hasn't altered the poison to resist this one as well. It's a small plant with white flowers. If it is burned, the fumes it emits are breathed in and it will destroy the poison. With enough of it, it can stimulate the lung cells to divide more quickly and replace the ones that were lost."

"What's it called and where can it be found?" Sakura asked, distrust masking her face coldly. It was evident she wasn't buying a word of it.

"It can be found in forests, but it is very difficult to locate. It's called Itonami."

"The Life Flower?" Sakura sputtered in disbelief. "It can't be found in this part of the country. It needs a lot of water to survive and the Land of Fire isn't exactly famous for its supply of liquid. The closest place it may be would be Amegakure, and we would never reach it in time."

Katana took a step forward, locking eyes with Sakura, mouth open to make a retort when Neji began coughing again. Katana's eyes turned to him and she bit her lip, a crease deepening in her brow. Tenten rested a hand on his shoulder and she looked up at Sakura.

"Something is definitely not right," she murmured.

"Nothing is terribly wrong," Neji responded. "It just feels as if-"

"As if your chest is on fire," Katana finished in a quiet tone. Neji looked at her with a stare of something close to shock. She looked away and spoke with sadness and distain. "It's the first sign. Next it will feel like someone is sitting on your chest and it will be difficult to breathe. Then you won't be able to catch your breath and you may start coughing and be unable to stop. And then…"

Katana bit her thumb and wiped the blood on her palm, making the appropriate hand seals. She slammed her palm into the ground and a small dragon leaped from the smoke. It was small and serpentine with large wings and thin legs, giving it an aerodynamic appearance. Its eyes were an ice blue, the dark slit pupil easily seen.

"What may I do for you Katana-sama?" the dragon asked, inclining its long neck.

"The task I'm giving you is of the utmost importance," Katana said firmly. "I need you to find a flower known as Itonami. You know what I speak of?" The dragon nodded. "The journey is far, but you must complete it. I chose you because you are the swiftest of wing and the sharpest of eyesight. Fly as if your life depended on it. Go!"

The dragon leaped in to the air and beat its wings powerfully, propelling it a great distance. Katana watched it go, her gaze hard and she whispered something under her breath. Only Riki caught what it might have been and it sounded like, "Please succeed for his sake". She turned away from the others, staring in the direction the dragon had flown.

"Get comfortable, Hyuuga," Katana said, casting him a glance over her shoulder. "This may take a while and you need to last as long as possible."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tenten snapped as Neji began coughing again. She looked at him in alarm and he didn't stop.

"That's what I mean," Katana said quietly, almost regretfully. "If the poison progresses too far before we get the antidote, I don't really want to discuss the results."

Tenten wrapped her arms around Neji when he finally caught his breath. She rested her back against a tree and pulled him to lean against her, laying her cheek on his hair. She stroked his dark brown locks, looking at him with worry. The others had never seen Neji and Tenten act so open toward one another.

Lee and Gai were both thinking of how youthfully kind and compassionate Tenten was being and were happy that Neji had finally allowed someone to be close to him. Sakura was quite astounded to see them act the way they were in front of people; she always knew something was going on between the two of them, but she didn't think they would display it so soon. Riki just thought it was peculiar and that Tenten was taking Katana's words to make Neji comfortable too literally. Lee glanced at Katana and noticed the glare she was giving Tenten. The taijutsu ninja took a moment to identify what it was, but it became clear that it was… jealousy.

Katana let out a short exhale and began weaving hand seals. She closed her eyes and finished with Tatsu, but quickly flipped to Tora and her eyes flew open. They were icy blue with slit pupils, the same eyes as the dragon she had recently summoned. They flicked back and forth, scanning the trees in front of her, but she seemed distant. She narrowed her eyes as if studying something intently, then blinked slowly and her eyes returned to normal.

"My dragon is just crossing the boarder of the Land of Fire into the Land of Rain," she said flatly. "At this rate, things may turn out okay."

Neji began coughing again and he rested his head against Tenten's chest after he caught his breath, but his breathing was raspy and labored. Katana regretted she had spoke so soon and turned away from Neji and Tenten. She passed a hand over her face, every strained breath the Hyuuga drew ringing in her ears. She gently shook her head and wove the hand seals again, closing and opening her eyes to be the dragon's once more.

Tenten wrapped her arms tightly around Neji, growing more and more anxious with each breath he took. Each seemed more strained than the last and she hated to admit it, but she feared for him. She looked at Katana to find her return her eyes to normal and report the dragon was searching for the Itonami but was having little success. Tenten looked down at Neji then glared furiously at Katana.

"I don't believe you," Tenten growled. Katana looked at Tenten with a confused quirked eyebrow. "All this talk about the Itonami, this Life Flower, I don't believe. I think Sakura could easily extract the poison and heal this wound and everything would be fine."

"You think I'm lying?" Katana said incredulously. She gave Tenten a blank stare as the weapon kunoichi nodded firmly, wrapping her arms even tighter around Neji. "Why would I lie? I know my family a little more than I would like to. I know about that poison. If I'm lying, then explain the purple residue."

"It doesn't matter," Tenten snapped. No one had heard her this angry before. "I know there's a poison; I won't deny that. But this claim that it feeds on chakra is what I don't believe. From what he's told me and what I've seen, I know you have a problem with him. You've tried to kill him on more than one occasion. Wouldn't this be a clean and simple way to achieve your goal? Let Sakura at least try to heal the wound."

"You apply chakra to that wound, it will just get worse," Katana retorted. "It would be like dousing a fire with gasoline. But you're hindering Hyuuga's breathing just as much with that choke hold you classify as a hug." Tenten's eyes flashed and she loosened her grip around Neji's shoulders slightly. But she turned her attention to Sakura.

"At least try to heal him," Tenten asked. Sakura glanced at Katana, wincing at the intensity of her glare. Neji began to cough again and the breaths he took afterward were so strained, it sounded as if his throat had numerous holes in it.

"If you try to heal him, he'll die," Katana snarled. Sakura froze and looked between Katana and Tenten. "You're wrong about me. I may have wished harm on him in the past, but now I regret what I've done. I want him to live as much as you do." Katana realized what she had said and quickly looked away, weaving hand seals and her eyes became the dragon's.

Sakura looked at Tenten and the weapon kunoichi nodded to the medic. The pink-haired kunoichi knelt at Neji's side and placed her hands over the wound on his side. But the moment her hands began to glow green, Neji's breath nearly stopped.

"What did I tell you?" Katana snapped. Her eyes were normal and the look of worry shadowed her face as Neji hardly got a sufficient amount of air into his lungs. "But there is hope. My dragon has found the Itonami and is on his way back. Just keep Hyuuga breathing until then and everything will be okay."

But no sooner had she said it than Neji gripped Tenten's hand and looked at her weakly. He had only been in this state once before after his fight with the Otogakura ninja Kidomaru. Tenten stared at him, a look of horror on her face. Neji then closed his eyes and Tenten panicked.

"He's not breathing," she whispered, almost in disbelief. Katana stared at Neji with wide eyes and shook her head slightly in an incredulous way. "He's not breathing! Neji! No!"

"Yelling at him won't bring him back," Katana said, her voice sounding tear choked. She looked to the sky and saw the dragon skimming through the sky. Relief washed over her and she struggled to clear her mind. Yet her stomach was in knots. The Hyuuga only had a few minutes before his brain shut down from lack of oxygen. "Lay him flat," she ordered, Tenten was reluctantly to complying.

The dragon fell into a steep dive and landed in front of Katana, shaking and breathing heavily, exhausted from its flight. He dropped a clump of white flowers into her open palms and she ordered him to set them on fire. The dragon questioned about her hands, but she said it was a minuscule problem at the moment. Katana winced and bit her tongue as the flames engulfed her palms, alighting the flowers. She held her hands under Neji's nose, but she knew it would be futile. If he couldn't breathe, he wouldn't be able to inhale the fumes.

Setting her mind, she chose the only plan of action. Moving the burning flowers into one hand, Katana brought them up to her mouth, inhaling deeply. Before anyone intervened, she pinched the Hyuuga's nose shut and lowered her head. She pressed her mouth to his and exhaled, forcing the fumes of the flowers into his body with her own breath.

"Wha- What are you doing?" Tenten sputtered as Katana lifted her head after emptying her lungs.

"Saving his life," Katana said shortly, inhaling the flower fumes once more. Her lips met Neji's again as she continued her form of CPR. She looked up and saw he still wasn't breathing on his own. "Come on, Hyuuga. Don't die on us." Katana breathed more fumes into his mouth and Tenten's eyes never left her.

"Alright enough," she growled, tears welling in her eyes. "This isn't working."

"My ass!" Katana snarled. "I won't let him die! It will work. It has to." Katana looked at her burned palm and saw she was only going to get one more exhalation out of the ashes that were left. She had to make this count. When she pressed her lips to his again, she lingered, making sure nothing was left in her airways. She slowly pulled away, but Neji still remained motionless. "Damn it, Hyuuga! Don't die!" Katana tossed the flower ashes aside and hit her fist against his chest.

Neji's eyes flew open at the blow and he coughed heavily, gulping the air that he had previously been neglected. Katana sat back, eyes wide. Tenten recovered from her shock first and pulled him into her arms, tears spilling down her cheeks. The others breathed sighs of relief, but Katana was the only one who still sat rigid. She stared at Tenten as she kissed Neji's hair, whispering his name as if the word tasted sweet. They were so close to her, yet Katana felt as if she was miles away. She had saved his life, but the Hyuuga made no motion to acknowledge her. He just stared up at Tenten with his lavender-tinged white eyes.

Nausea attacked Katana's stomach and she rose to her feet, running of into the forest. Riki called her name and she heard him follow her, but she ran as fast as her trembling legs could go before stumbling and falling on all fours. She vomited onto the ground, coughing violently once she had emptied her stomach.

"Are you okay?" Riki's voice asked from behind her. "Katana? What's wrong?" He knelt beside her and rested his hand on her back, running it over her spine soothingly.

"I-I'm f-f-fine, Riki," she stuttered with a shaking voice. "It's… got to be something I ate. Go back to the others, I'll be there in a minute." Riki offered his hand and Katana took it to support herself as she rose to her feet. She leaned against a tree and shooed him away. Once he was out of sight, she slumped to the ground and buried her face into her burnt hands, ignoring the stinging pain as her tears fell onto her raw flesh.

Her nausea wasn't from something she had eaten. It was from the pent up anxiety and worry. The worry that Neji might die and she would have been responsible. He had been so close, so close he had most likely lock eyes with death. But he was alive, and she had saved him. Because of her actions, he had survived.

But he didn't even seem to care.

* * *

Author Note: This is a chapter I had planned since I began this fic. I'm happy to finally write it. I'm going to do my best with updates from now on. My softball schedule can be erratic and demanding, so I can't promise anything. Itonami means life to any one who wants to know. So I don't have anything much else to say. Thank you to all my readers and extra thank you to my reviewers. I don't own Naruto, just the Suterusu Clan and Riki. So, until next time, peace out.

-cagedbired361


	14. Chapter 13: Things I'll Never Say

Chapter 13: Things I'll Never Say

Although Katana had saved Neji's life, he was kept under observation in the hospital for the next week. Tenten was at his side every waking moment of every day; the doctors needing to forcefully make her leave several times. Katana watched from a distance, not daring to be in the same room as the weapon kunoichi. She had a set routine once she returned: she would train as best she could with her wounded hands in the morning, return to Anko's apartment and argue for no particular reason with the older kunoichi, then wait in a tree outside the hospital to see if Tenten was planning on leaving.

But she was always there.

Katana rubbed her bandaged hands together as she sat on a branch in the tree one hot afternoon, gazing absently into a window on the second floor of the hospital. She knew it was Neji's room because she had seen Tenten sitting within it every minute of visiting hours. But today was different. Katana had been called in the previous day to the Hokage's Office to give her account of what had happened to Neji, and Tenten had followed soon after. Katana had overheard Lady Tsunade give Tenten a mission, so she knew the weapon kunoichi would be leaving soon.

Time passed slowly and the sun moved to flit through the leafy canopy above Katana's head. She looked above her and saw a few birds gliding through the air, blotting out portions of the sun with their tiny silhouettes. Bowing and shaking her head, Katana looked back up at the window and saw Tenten had rose to her feet and moved out of the line of sight she had from the tree. Waiting several minutes to be safe, Katana finally deemed herself prepared and activated her kekkei genkai.

She slipped invisibly from the tree, landing soundlessly and walking quickly across the wide dirt road between the tree and the hospital. She clasped a fragile object gently in her bandaged hands, looking nervously from like to side. Even though she was unseen, she feared the pounding of her heart would alert anyone who walked to close of her presence. She came to the wall of the hospital and walked up it with chakra on her feet. She perched on the windowsill and glanced in, seeing Neji asleep inside. She pulled a small file out of her shoe and slipped it through the crack between the windows and undid the latch.

She slipped inside and closed the window behind her, deactivating her blood limit and turning to Neji. He looked so strange asleep: his usually cold and expressionless features were passive and calm. Katana's eyes lingered on his face and she stepped over to him slowly. She looked over at the bedside table, seeing a large bouquet of flowers with a card that declared they were from Team Gai. But she had a feeling it was Tenten's idea. Katana looked down at the fragile object in her hands and felt her cheeks grow warm. Maybe her idea wasn't the best.

Looking back at Neji's features, she stepped over to the bedside table slowly, careful the make no sound whatsoever. She had a feeling Neji was a light sleeper. Katana reached over and placed her object into the vase holding the large bouquet, positioning it so that only Neji would be able to see it; it was towards the back by the wall so it would be blocked from the view of anyone sitting at the bedside.

"Be well, Hyuuga," Katana whispered. She turned and opened the window, activating her kekkei genkai. She gave Neji one last glance and climbed out of the window, falling into a dead sprint once she reached the ground. The object she had left consisted of three parts. There was a sprig of sage, an herb symbolizing healing. There was a purple hyacinth, symbolizing regret and apology; she was sorry for what she had previously done and regretted ever wishing him harm. The last was the most daring part of the object, the part she was nervous about: a yellow chrysanthemum, symbolizing a secret admirer.

* * *

Katana fumbled with her bandaged hands, cursing as she tried to tie the bandages tighter so they wouldn't slip off. But when she got one tight, the other would become loose and she grew frustrated enough to slam her hands onto the table in Anko's kitchen, swearing with the sudden pain of her burnt flesh on the wood.

"Would you stop," Anko growled, looking up from the newspaper from where she sat adjacent to Katana at the table. "That isn't going to work, so stop trying. Do you want me to help you?"

"I'm fine, Anko," Katana said curtly. She sighed and curled and uncurled her fingers, feeling the scabs bend and threaten to split.

"Why haven't you just gotten your hands healed yet?" Anko asked, folding the corner of the newspaper down so she could read while also able to see the younger kunoichi. "Any medic ninja can heal a couple of burns. Why are you still injured?"

"They gave me a few treatments just to make sure my hands would still function and there would be no permanent damage. But Hyuuga was the main focus at the time and I don't want to go to the hospital for such a small injury. It will heal in time."

"You know what I think?" Anko asked, straightening the corner of the newspaper so her face was shielded from view. "I think you're just trying to extent the time that you're injured so you won't have to go on missions." Katana whipped the roll of bandages she was using at the older kunoichi, then rose to her feet and stormed towards the door. "Hey! I'm kidding. Calm down. What's wrong with you?"

Katana placed her clumsily bandaged hand on the doorknob, the tail of one end of the white cloth slipping and dangling off of her wrist. "Sorry, Anko. I just have something on my mind. I'll be back later and maybe I'll remember to buy you that pillow." She walked out the door but Anko's eyes remained on the spot she had just been. Something was different; Katana usually didn't act the way she just had. She would usually blow off one of Anko's jokes. Her attitude reminded the older kunoichi of when Katana was younger, when she had still been bound by her family and hardly knew how to crack a smile. Something had happened to Katana and Anko was bothered greatly by it.

* * *

Katana sat down by a small pond in one of the training fields. She pulled off her shoes and slipped her feet into the water, taking a moment to get used to the cold temperature. She swished her feet around and leaned back, lying down in the lush grass. She sighed and stared up at the clouds, trying to clear her mind from the thoughts that had been plaguing her brain. She wanted to go back to being a normal shinobi, just completing mission and helping the Village. But with Neji's role in the recent events, things were becoming difficult. But life could never be easy.

Katana sat up and gingerly unwrapped her hands, dropping the bandages to her side. She dipped her hands into the water, the cool liquid soothing the inflamed burns. She had been told they were second degree, but the medical ninjutsu treatments stopped any serious damage. All that was left were several bright red patches, some scabs, and a few blisters. She stared at her hands beneath the surface of the water, her thoughts traveling to the reason she had received the burns. She could almost smell the fumes of the Itonami, but the pain of it smoldering in her palms was distant. Katana closed her eyes and pushed the thoughts away as best she could, but they lingered faintly. She heard footsteps approaching and looked behind her, seeing a person approaching from between the trees.

"I knew you would be at a training field," Neji said once he was several feet from the pond.

"What are you doing here? If you want to train, I'm sorry to say I'm still out of commission at the moment. " Katana waved her fingers in the water. "When did you get discharged from the hospital?"

"Earlier today," Neji responded, looking to the sky as if pondering. "But I'm not here to train. I came here to give my gratitude. From what I understand, you saved my life."

"It's no big deal," Katana said quickly, a little too quickly. "I'm just paying the debt I owed. We're even now, a life for a life." Neither mentioned _how_ Katana had saved him. She pulled her feet from the pond and stood up, shaking water droplets off of her hands. Katana looked down at the crumpled pile of bandages and sighed, not wanting to endure the hassle of trying to tie them.

"Do you need help?" Neji questioned with a slight hint of amusement. Katana looked over at him and saw him pull a roll of bandages from his waist pouch.

"If you would be so kind," Katana said sardonically, making him respond with his signature "hn". She held out one of her hands and he took it in his own. Katana's breath hitched in spite of herself; his skin, same as when he stitched her back, was ice cold. He slowly began wrapping the cloth around her wrist, making it tight but not nearly enough to cut off her circulation. He made his way to her palm, being gentle as he worked his way over the burns, and wrapped the tail end around her first two fingers, tucking it into itself. "Thanks," Katana said quietly and bent to get her shoes.

"What about your other hand?" Neji asked, raising one eyebrow questioningly with the faintest shadow of a smirk on his face.

"It's fine. I can wrap it." She slipped on one shoe and turned away slightly.

"Allow me."

Neji caught her bare hand in his own, making Katana start and stare at him with wide eyes. He lifted it and slowly began to wrap the appendage in the same fashion as her other hand. She turned back to him, watching his pale hands moved around her own. After he finished and tucked the end into itself, Katana flexed her fingers and knew she could never have done a better job. She looked up at him and their eyes locked, unblinking for several seconds.

"Er, thank you," Katana repeated, reluctantly pulling her hand out of his. She searched for a topic to fill the awkward silence that had settled over the two jounin, but she failed miserably. _Gosh he has nice eyes._

"Excuse me?"

Katana felt her throat close in horror at the thought that she had actually spoken aloud. "I'm tired of our ties," she said quickly. He raised an eyebrow in confusion, clearly not buying it. "You know, during out sparing. Every fight we've had has ended in a tie. Once my hands heal, we can spar again. And I promise you it won't end in a stalemate." Katana felt that she was uncomfortably close to him and took a step back, trying to catch her breath. "I'll see you around, Hyuuga." She turned around and began to walk away, her cheeks fiery red.

"Katana," Neji said and she froze, but remained facing away. "Try to talk with Tenten if you get the chance. She wanted to speak with you about something that happened on the mission."

"What about the mission? Is it good or bad?"

"I wouldn't know. She didn't tell me. She said she wanted to confide with only you."

"Okay, I will," Katana said, quickening her pace but paused when she reached the edge of the trees. "Thanks again, Hyuuga."

"Hn. No, Katana. Thank you."

Katana walked briskly through the training field until she reached the chain link gate. Leaping over it swiftly, she broke into a run. She didn't stop until she was well away from the training field and gasping for breath. But the shortness of air was hardly from her running. It was from being so close to him and the fear that she may have done the worst thing a shinobi could do: she let her feelings show. Her only relief was that he didn't mention anything about the flowers she had left for him at the hospital.

* * *

"Katana!"

She whirled around, searching for the person who had yelled her name and saw Tenten running in her direction, waving her arms above her head. Katana had wandered to another training field that was more commonly used than others, hoping no one would expect her to be there and she wouldn't be found. She had needed some time to gather herself after encounter with Neji, but Tenten had somehow discovered her whereabouts.

"Hello, Tenten," Katana said flatly, not exactly wanting anyone's company at the moment. "What can I do for you?"

"I wanted- whoa, are you okay?" Tenten cocked her head and stared into Katana's face. She was pale as snow and her hands were shaking; she looked as if she had just had the most frightening moment of her life.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What did you come here for?"

"Oh, right," Tenten said, then bowed her head and her tone turned sincere. "I wanted to apologize for what I said the other day while we were on the mission. I'm sorry I doubted you. You did save Neji's life and I could never be more grateful."

"Oh, well, you're welcome. I couldn't let him die, could I? I just-"

"If there's anything I can do for you, just ask," Tenten interrupted, looking up with bright eyes.

"The last time you said that you dragged me off to meet the Konoha Nine and I ended up kicking Kiba in the crotch," Katana muttered, remembering the incident with distain.

"Sorry about that, but this time I mean it."

Katana thought for a moment and an idea came to her. "I have something I want you to do. Once my hands heal, I want to spar with you."

"Spar with me?" Tenten said with confusion, obviously caught off guard. "That's what you want me to do? Well… okay. Sure, you've got a deal."

"Good," Katana said in an almost sinister tone with a smirk. _Now we can see who the stronger kunoichi is. _"I'll contact you once I'm healed. Keep your weapons sharp and prepare as best you can. And remember one thing, I'm no pushover."

* * *

Author Note: I had nothing to do today, so this is the product of my boredom. I had a little fun with this chapter, but not as much fun as others. I wanted to apologize if Neji is slightly OOC. I'm trying my best, but its difficult to write a pairing with him in character. I'm doing my best, but we've never really seen how Neji acts when he likes someone. I'm trying my best to keep him in character. Thank you to all my readers and reviewers, you guys make me so happy ^_^ Sooo, that's pretty much it. So until next time, peace out.

-cagedbird361


	15. Chapter 14: 4 Words to Choke Upon

Chapter 14: 4 Words to Choke Upon

It had taken Katana three days to feel comfortable with using her hands again. She unraveled the bandages and flexed her fingers, relieved that the skin no longer felt so tight. She drew one of her swords and rolled the hilt around between her palms, feeling no pain as she had the days before. Returning the sword to its sheath, Katana bit her thumb and wove several hand seals, summoning a small green dragon. It bowed its head respectfully and sat on its haunches in front of her, expectantly waiting for its task. Katana gave it her message and sent it off to find Tenten, staring at the viridescent reptile as it launched itself into the air. Cracking her knuckles, Katana swung upside down from the tree limb she was sitting on, staring at the world from her inverted position.

As the blood rushed to her head and colored her face, she let her arms swing above her head, stretching the muscles that hadn't been used in several days. She sensed chakra moving towards her soon enough, happy that Tenten hadn't made her wait. But the chakra was too large to be just Tenten's, and Katana pulled herself upright, swaying slightly as the blood left her skull and made her dizzy. After the brief sensation passed, she climbed higher to get a better view of those who were approaching. She had a feeling creeping over her, a feeling she couldn't place, but it wasn't good. She brushed it off as the owners of the chakra came into view.

"What are you guys doing here?" Katana called from her branch, staring at the small group that had collected at the tree's roots. Tenten looked up with Lee, Neji, and Riki clustered at her sides.

"Hi, Katana," she answered cheerfully with a smile. "I told Lee I was coming to spar with you and he wanted to come watch. We dragged Neji with us and Riki tagged along when we met him near the training field." Katana's former teammate looked up shyly, a gentle blush dusting his cheeks.

"You shouldn't have come with all the others," Katana growled, standing and towering over the small group with the height of the tree. Riki looked crest fallen and Neji turned to begin walking away. Tenten grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back to her side.

"Why? Why can't they watch?"

Katana rolled her eyes and swung down from the tree branches and landed softly before them. "Because they could get hurt. I'm not a stationary fighter, just ask Hyuuga. No position is safe from my swords on a battlefield. If they hang around, they could loose a limb or something."

"We will not get in your way, Katana," Lee said with an assuring tone and a thumbs up. "Do not worry. If you get too close, we will move."

Katana knew it was pointless to argue with Lee, so she turned her attention to Tenten. "They can stay as long as they don't make things difficult. But, anyway, onto the rules. To make sure that this stays a sparring match and not a full-blown death-fight—" Tenten looked a little frightened as her word were spoken "—we should tone things down a little. First of all, we can't use any jutsu; nothing that requires chakra to initiate."

"But that defeats the purpose," Tenten said in confusion. "How are we supposed to spar without jutsu?"

"It's for safety, Tenten," Katana said slowly with irritation. "Do you want to die? Remember, I'm a jounin. If I used any jutsu, you'd have no chance."

"Oh really?" Tenten said defensively, protecting her pride as best she could despite the fact that she was slightly outmatched.

"I wanted to focus on taijutsu and weapon handling, anyway," Katana said before Tenten thought too much about the comment. "We can train with jutsu another time if you want, but let's see who can fight better with just ourselves and tools." Neji contributed his "hn" and Katana threw him a glare. "Do you have something to say, Hyuuga?"

"I just find it interesting that you think you can win against Tenten using weapons," he said monotonously, not meeting Katana's glare. "Tenten is an expert in using all types of weapons and tools. To think you can beat her is foolish." Tenten blushed and looked away, but Katana only hardened her glare.

"We'll see who the superior kunoichi is soon enough, Hyuuga," Katana growled and faced Tenten again. "We will fight until first blood. The person to bleed first, meaning they get hit with a weapon or cut, loses. And we can use only one weapon."

"One weapon? How do you expect me to choose?"

"You're not thinking," Katana said with a mocking smirk. "I didn't specify what type of weapon it had to be. I just said a weapon. Anything can be considered a weapon and have more properties than it seems to have at first. A rock can be thrown at someone, but it can also be dropped under someone's feet to make him or her slip. Choose your weapon and we will start."

Tenten thought frantically as Katana removed her back-plate apparatus and unsheathed one of her swords. Dropping the apparatus near a tree, she walked to stand adjacent to Tenten on the opposite side of the training field. The field had an open space and not as many trees as others and Lee, Neji, and Riki positioned themselves near the tree Katana had been sitting in. Tenten saw Katana ready her stance and she finally understood what Katana had been trying to tell her. She pulled her scroll from the strap on her back and held it out.

"This is my weapon," she said firmly, a smile playing at her lips.

"But that's not fair," Riki chimed in, stepping between the two females. "That scroll has way more than one weapon in it."

"On the contrary, Riki, it is completely fair," Katana said calmly, the corners of her own mouth rising. "Tenten's scroll is a weapon in itself. What it holds is just part of it. If that is her one weapon, so be it." _Besides, it might be more evenly matched this way._

Riki was about to make a retort, but Katana took several steps forward and he backed away next to the other males. He looked worried and Katana hadn't the slightest idea why. She faced Tenten and raised her sword, watching as the other kunoichi started to unpeel the loose end from her scroll. Katana watched her movements carefully, waiting for any sign to determine who would strike first. She could see Lee getting more and more anxious for them to start and was almost bouncing off the ground by the time Tenten unraveled a part of her scroll.

There was a burst of smoke and a round of shuriken and kunai sliced through the air. Katana darted out of the way and ran towards Tenten again, only to jink when another set of projectiles was sent her way. Katana's attempts to get close enough to use her sword were thwarted each time by some sort of weapon slung at her from the scroll in the weapon kunoichi's grasp. She was pushed back towards the tree and the males stepped away as she nearly back peddled into them. Katana sprang into the tree limbs, only for Tenten to throw her weapons full force. Unable to get a heads up of where they were coming from, Katana was forced to slip behind the tree to catch her breath.

She instinctively reached for a kunai, but remembered that she had made the rule of only one weapon. Cursing quietly, she heard the weapons stop thudding into the tree and glanced around the bark. She nearly took a senbon between the eyes; Tenten was waiting for her. Katana thought of her options: run like hell, get beaten like hell, or get as close to Tenten to beat _her_ like hell. Katana set her jaw and chose the latter.

Leaping from behind the tree, Katana blocked the shuriken that flew towards her head with her sword. Rolling under the next volley of kunai, Katana slowly got closer. She sent a demon wind shuriken glancing off of her blade and charged towards Tenten, approaching too rapidly for the other kunoichi to throw any more weapons. Tenten leaped backwards and dodged Katana's sword as it swung for her cheek, scrabbling at her scroll to summon more weapons. She pulled at the end and sent a bow-stave into Katana's chest. Tenten gasped in surprise as Katana had the wind knocked out of her lungs, but exploded into a puff of smoke, leaving a log in her place.

"Hey! You said no jutsu!" Tenten snapped as Katana slipped from the tree and landed adjacent to Tenten.

"I know I did, but aren't you using chakra to summon those weapons?" Katana remarked, the mocking smirk spreading over her face. Tenten looked down at her scroll and could make no argument. "We're even. So pick up that bow-stave and fight me one-on-one."

Tenten sighed and set her scroll down, obeying Katana's orders ruefully. She had hoped that Katana wouldn't notice that she was using chakra. Readying her stance with the stave held loosely in her hands, she waited for Katana to make the first move this time. She didn't have to wait long and jumped back as the sword swung in front of her chest. Tenten caught the next swing on her stave, bracing her stance as Katana fought her back. Their arms shook as each tried to gain the upper hand, but neither was willing to give up.

Tenten took several steps back and pulled her arms toward herself, making Katana lurch forward. Tenten bent her knees and rolled backwards across the ground, sending Katana over her to crash into the dirt. But Katana rolled as well; keeping herself balanced and quickly retaliated. She turned and lunged forward, stabbing with her sword, nearly catching Tenten on the arm. Tenten blocked it with her stave and spun it around, nearly wrenching the blade from Katana's grasp. She rose to her feet and swung her stave again, but feinted the blow and landed one across Katana's back.

Katana stumbled forward and sensed a chakra behind her, but it didn't belong to Tenten. Distracted, Katana nearly let the bow-stave hit her across the stomach and caught it at the last moment on her sword. Gripping it with her free hand, Katana twirled it, jarring Tenten grip long enough for her fully analyze the chakra without being distracted. Tenten saw Katana's face turn pale and she leaped back, eyes wide and looking wildly around. Confused, Tenten raised an eyebrow, but thought that it might be a trap and ran at Katana with her stave raised. Katana caught the stave and knocked it out of Tenten's grasp, but made no follow up attack.

"Everyone get out of here!" she yelled, looking from Tenten to the males near the tree. No one moved and she looked at them each in turn to strengthen her point. "Did you not hear me? I said run!"

"What's gotten into you?" Tenten questioned, but sensed the other chakra the moment she spoke. "What is it? Whose chakra is that? What's going on?" Katana suddenly sprang forward and tackled Tenten just as an arrow whizzed through the air where she had just been. Katana looked up and saw a figure land in the tree the males were under and they turned and readied themselves in various offense stances.

The chakra belonged to a woman, but once the group was able to study her, they realized she wasn't insignificant. She looked exactly like an older version of Katana, just without the scars and a much more womanly figure. She had the same medium brown hair, although it only fell to her shoulders and her bangs were flopped over her right eye, and she had the same piercing brown eyes. She wore incredibly short black shorts and a black strapless shirt, fishnets covering her lower legs and forearms. A quiver of arrows was slung across her left shoulder and she held a bow in her right hand.

"That's what's going on," Katana said bitterly, rising to her feet slowly. "If you know what's good for you, you'll get the others and get out of here. Now. This is my fight"

"Well, well, well, look what I've found," the woman said mockingly. "I didn't think you would be so easy to locate, 'Tana. We can be hard people to find."

"You don't have to tell me things I already know," Katana murmured coldly. "I just wish I knew it was your turn seeking; I would have hidden myself better."

"Yes, I had been waiting for the time when our dispatcher would choose me to bring you back," the woman laughed humorlessly, giving her bangs a toss away from her face. "He seemed worried that I wouldn't be able to do it for some reason. I have no idea why he had doubts."

"Who is your dispatcher?" Katana snarled, tightening the grip on her sword. "Who of the family is he?"

Katana's look-alike gave a charming smile. "Why don't you find out for yourself? Just come with me without a fight and may be he'll have an audience with you without chaining you to a wall."

"You're a bitch, Keikoku," Katana growled.

"Excuse you, 'Tana. That's no way to talk to your older sister."

"Older sister?!"

Keikoku turned her head in Tenten's direction. "Wow, you have friends now. How sweet. I wonder how you convinced them you wouldn't kill them. Either you've become very persuasive or they're dip-shits. But the are quite peculiar-looking." Her eyes then fell on Neji. "And a Hyuuga?! You're actually spending time with a Hyuuga? And I though _I_ let go of grudges quickly. I always said you could never resist those white eyes they have."

"Shut your mouth, Keikoku!" Katana snarled at her sibling. She walked slowly over and picked up her back-plate apparatus and slipped it onto her body, drawing another sword. "You have no right to say that."

Keikoku looked closely at her younger sister and began to laugh. "Are you blushing?" Katana's expression was one of alarm. "You _do_ still have that crush, don't you? I knew that plan our brother devised would never work. I _know_ you liked it: being pinned beneath that other Hyuuga while he—"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Katana yelled, running towards the tree, swords raised. Keikoku drew and nocked an arrow, aiming it at her sister. Katana dodged it easily and ran up the tree, anger driving her to move faster. Keikoku drew a kunai and leaped up the tree branches, Katana in hot pursuit. She threw it down, but Katana blocked it and drove Keikoku into the thin upper branches and she was forced to stop and fight.

Katana slashed at the branch her sister stood on, sending her falling several feet before she was able to stick her feet to another branch with chakra. Keikoku jumped up and gripped the branch Katana stood on, swinging up and around and slamming her feet into her younger sister's back and knocking her off the branch. She couldn't get a hold on a branch and the only thing that kept her alive was that she emitted chakra from her back just before she hit the ground, cushioning her fall. The wind was still knocked out of her and she saw Keikoku nock another arrow and aimed it at her stomach. Rolling out of the way and struggling to her feet, Katana dodged the arrow and pulled it out of the ground, examining the head.

"So you still have some of our uncle Gaidoku's poison, do you?" Katana growled, throwing the arrow aside. Keikoku only responded with a smile and climbed down the tree, biting her thumb and weaving seals. Slamming her hand on the ground, a puff of smoke rose and a large white tiger walked from the cloud. Katana mimed the jutsu and a large wingless, serpentine grey-scaled eastern dragon snarled at the striped feline.

The sisters and their summons leaped at each other simultaneously. The dragon locked with the tiger, claws and teeth snapping and slicing. The dragon wrapped around the tiger in the same fashion as a boa constrictor, but the tiger writhed and clawed at the large reptile, preventing it from getting a firm grip. The tiger threw itself on its back, jarring the dragon from its body and allowing it to attack. It pounced on the dragon, claws scraping off several patches of scales and drawing blood. The reptile bellowed and threw its head back, its sharp branch-like horns stabbing into the tiger's face.

Katana was having similar luck with Keikoku. Her sister had summoned a long double-bladed knife from a scroll and was blocking Katana's swords as they swung at her. She spun it and nearly caught Katana on her side, dislodging a sword from her hand and sending it spinning away. Keikoku elbowed Katana in the shoulder and knocked her to the ground. Quickly, Katana swiped at her, but Keikoku caught her blade on her own and drove it to the side, leaving Katana's back and side wide open. Katana rolled away as her older sister took a stab at her, hastily regaining her composure and kicking her feet out into her sister's shins.

Katana rose to her feet and jumped back, weaving hand seals as Keikoku stood up weakly. Before the elder sister could react, Katana had finished her seals and threw her hands out to her sides. The sword on the ground and the two in her sheathes began to tremble and rise into the air. They remained suspended and the four swords hovered close to Katana, swaying with every slight movement of her hands.

"Oh my gosh," Keikoku whispered at Katana's jutsu. "What have you been doing all this time? How did you learn such a technique?"

"When the only person you can trust is yourself, you have to do everything you possibly can to make yourself as strong as possible so you'll never lose," Katana murmured, her eyes slowly turning into the glowing red associated with the dragons. "You always used to think you were above me because you were seven years older. But now I need to end this and show you I'm not who you think I am. I'm not weak anymore."

Katana ran forward with her swords and threw her hands forward, her weapons shooting at her target. The same way she had used chakra to manipulate her sword in the stronghold, she was doing the same with the four swords she always carried. Katana sent them at Keikoku at different angles, attacking every opening her sister gave her. It wasn't long before Keikoku grew tired and careless, and Katana's swords struck, leaving bright red gashed across Keikoku's body. She called to her tiger and the feline broke from its fight with the dragon and leaped towards Katana, snarling like the predator it was.

Katana's dragon stopped the tiger just before its oversized paws raked across Katana's back and the summons continued their fight. Katana kept her distance and wove her arms and fingers as if she was actually performing one of her combinations, the chakra controlling her swords to make them twist and turn in the air. Katana knew Keikoku was losing her concentration and she moved in to finish the battle. Katana ran forward, her swords driving Keikoku against a tree and held her against the bark, one at her throat, one on her chest, and two at her sides.

"How do you like being pinned?" Katana growled mockingly. She glanced back and saw the dragon had wrapped around the tiger in a constricting chokehold and its teeth were in the striped feline's neck. She waited for a moment before the tiger gave in and disappeared to keep its life. Satisfied that her dragon had won, Katana turned back to her sister. "Tell me who your dispatcher is."

"Never, I'll never betray the Clan like you did," Keikoku said in a shaking voice. She was chalk white with fear and had blood running down her arms, legs, and face, but her jaw was firmly set. Being obstinate was one thing the sisters shared.

"I'll have no guilt if I kill you," Katana growled, taking told of the sword against her sister's throat and pressing it more firmly into her skin. "Tell me or you'll die."

"Katana, stop!" Tenten called, running over towards the tree. Katana looked over at her in confusion. "She's your sister! Don't kill her!"

Keikoku took advantage of Katana's distraction. She grabbed the sword that was against her chest and pulled it away, directing it towards Katana's skull. Katana barely blocked the blade, but was sent crashing to the ground, Keikoku forcing her into the dirt. Their blades locked and Keikoku easily drove Katana's sword back, gaining superiority and rendering her younger sister's efforts to escape useless. Just before Keikoku drove Katana's own sword into her neck, the dragon bellowed and charged at them. Keikoku jumped up in fear and Katana quickly went after her.

Katana ran in front of the dragon, red eyes blazing and she pulled her sword from Keikoku's grasp, pressing both blades to her sister's throat. The dragon roared with the victory and disappeared in a puff of smoke, knowing it was no longer needed. Katana looked deeply into her sister's eyes and pressed her swords more firmly into her flesh.

"Are you sure you're not going to tell me?" she hissed, slowly dragging her swords across Keikoku's neck.

"I'll never speak," Keikoku assured her with a growl.

"So be it. You were considered the most beautiful member of the Clan, if I remember correctly. I wonder how pretty you'll be in the afterlife."

"I never thought you would ever have the guts to do this, Katana. We are sisters, after all."

"You had this coming to you, you know that. Now you know what I have become. There are four words you can choke on as you take your last breath: look at me now."

"No! Katana! Stop!"

But Katana ignored Tenten's yell and pulled her swords, splitting Keikoku's throat open. Blood sprayed over her hands and face and her older sister fell to the ground. Katana stood over her as a pool of blood collected at her feet, and she felt no remorse. Blinking a few times to make her eyes return to normal, Katana wiped her swords on the grass and sheathed the four before turning to the others who hadn't left like she had asked them to. But they didn't look at her the same.

"What wrong?" she asked as if nothing had happened. "Have you never seen someone get killed before?"

"That was your sister," Tenten whispered. Her eyes were wide and fearful, and she took a step back. "You just killed your own sister."

"Like I care," Katana spat, wiping blood off of her face. "You'd have killed her too if you knew her like I did."

"But still…" Riki murmured, staring at Keikoku's body as it lay in the grass. "You just killed your own immediate family member."

"She's not the first and she won't be the last," Katana snapped, throwing her dead sister a reproachful glare. But even as she stared, her body started to disinegrate right before her eyes. It rapidly decomposed until there was nothing left but a pile of dust that scattered with the next gust of wind.

"What the heck!" Riki sputtered, staring at the dust that was left of Keikoku.

"That's what happens to us when members of the Suterusu Clan die," Katana said ruefully. "A jutsu is placed on us from the moment we are born. Our body rapidly decomposes when we die so that no one will be able to retrieve the corpse and cull any information. It's quite efficient. The longer we are alive, the longer it takes the jutsu to take effect. Gaidoku's body was still there when we left because the jutsu hadn't been activated yet. But he's gone now."

"You are a monster."

Katana felt a chill run up her spine and turned to look at Neji. He glared at her fiercely, white eyes colder that liquid nitrogen. Katana stared at him and the gravity of what she had just done finally hit her. Like a ton of bricks. She had just killed her sister in front of them. It had been different with Genkaku and Gaidoku; Gaidoku had tried to kill Neji and was merely her uncle and no one had seen her murder Genkaku. But there were witnesses to her crime this time. Katana looked at them and felt her head spin and her face turn pale. She turned and bolted away into the trees, trying to get as far away from the group as she could go in the short amount of time.

She finally rested against a tree, shaking like a leaf in an autumn wind. She looked down at her hands and saw the splatters of blood on her nails and palms. They were the hands of a murderer. Nausea washed over her and she sunk to the ground, burying her face in her bloody hands. _What have I done? What have I become?_ Her words to Keikoku had been true: look at me now. Neji was right; she had become a monster.

* * *

Author Note: Sorry for the wait everyone! Softball is very demanding and I had a ton of homework this weekend. It also took me two days to write this chapter because I wanted to make up for the shortness of the previous one. So, this is the entrance (and departure) of Katana's sister... heh heh. I admit it was fun to write this. Keikoku means beauty if anyone wanted to know. I want to give a special thank you to the people who have reviewed several of my chapter (you guys make me soooo happy X3), all the people who have favorited my story (it makes me happy to know that people like what I've written), and anyone else who has read my story. And just so everyone knows, I'm open to flames. I hope that this doesn't give anyone an invitation, I just want people to know that I'm open to all kinds of criticism. I don't own Naruto, just my OCs. So until next time, peace out.

-cagedbird361


	16. Chapter 15: I'm So Sick

Chapter 15: I'm So Sick

Anko knew something was wrong: Katana was still asleep.

Usually, the young kunoichi was out of the house by seven thirty at the latest, always prompt and diligent when it came to her training. But it was ten o'clock and Katana was still in her room. Anko's curiosity was instantly sparked and she walked over to the door, wondering what could have happened to make Katana skip her morning training. She had seemed very odd when she had come back the previous day. She had walked into the doorway, dropped her things, run to the bathroom to vomit, then dragged herself to her room and shut the door. She hadn't reappeared and Anko just thought it was minor, as if she had overexerted herself on a mission or the like. But she was still in her room and something was defiantly wrong.

"Katana? You in there? Are you okay?" Anko knocked heavily on the door, but there was no response. She knocked louder and jiggled the knob, only to find it locked from the inside. She slammed her shoulder into the wood, calling Katana's name loudly. There would be no way she would be able to sleep through the racket Anko was making, but the door remained unanswered. "Open this door or I'll break it down, 'Tana."

The answer was instantaneous. Katana opened the door and Anko didn't bother to stifle her gasp. The young kunoichi looked even worse than when she was in the hospital. Her usually piercing brown eyes were red, puffy, and outlined in dark circle. Her skin had an almost yellow tinge and she was shaking weakly in the doorway, holding the frame to support herself. Her hair was down and hung lank around her face, tumbling down her back in a disarrayed mass. Her glare wasn't nearly half as affective as it normally would have been, but her anger was defiantly from being called her nickname. She turned her head and coughed violently, her whole body crunching and phlegm rattling in her throat.

"What do you want?" Katana rasped weakly, staring at Anko coldly.

"What happened to you?" Anko sputtered. "You look like you got eaten by Akamaru, thrown up after he realized you wouldn't be digested, and then run over by a rickshaw."

"Thanks," Katana spat, coughing again. "I'm sick, if you haven't observed. Can you just leave me alone?"

"Sick? You never get sick. Do you need anything?"

"Twenty boxes of tissues, cough medicine, and a winter coat would be nice," Katana grumbled, rubbing her eyes and shaking her head, struggling to think through her pounding headache.

"Damn, you're really messed up, aren't you?" Anko mused the obvious. "I'll get you something, don't worry. Just go back to sleep and try not to die while I'm out. I don't want to come back to find that you choked to death on your own phlegm."

"Spectacular image, Anko," Katana muttered and shut the door heavily. She stumbled back to the futon and collapsed, coughing heavily. She wrapped several blankets around her shivering body, closing her eyes tightly. She didn't need to think hard to wonder where the illness had come from. Her own realization of what she was turning into made her sick, simple as that. She was powerless to fight the facts, and if she was becoming a monster, she might as well seclude herself. This was her punishment, so it seemed.

Anko came back half an hour later, stacking up tissue boxes and muttering the directions written on the medicine bottle. Katana shooed her out of the room with several bitter words, never liking anyone to see her when she was so weak. She used the first tissue box with in the next hour and was relieved when the medicine began to work. Able to breathe without coughing like she was about to die, Katana slipped into a fitful sleep, struggling to fight off the sickness of what she had become.

--

Anko looked up as Katana emerged from her room, looking no better than she had the previous day. She stumbled into the kitchen and sat down at the table, coughing violently.

"Are you contagious?" Anko asked with amusement, but Katana wasn't in the mood for jokes. She rubbed her swollen eyes and Anko noticed something she hadn't the previous day. "Are you crying?"

Katana looked up and her eyes were indeed watery, but she angrily wiped them against the sleeve of the sweatshirt she was wearing. "No, I'm not." Anko almost laughed at her voice; she was so congested that it sounded as if she was speaking while holding her nose. "I'm going back to sleep," she muttered and Anko didn't get the chance to ask her what she had left her room for to begin with.

Her door closed and Anko sighed, glad that she didn't any children. Katana was almost like a sister (one that Katana actually interacted well with), but she was still a little difficult to take care off. Sure she was self sufficient, but she always complained that the only food stored in the apartment was dango, and that Anko sometimes needed to calm down. But the thought of actually being responsible for someone of Katana's age made Anko's skin crawl. There was a knock on the door and Anko ripped from her thoughts.

She walked over to the door and looked through the peephole, nearly choking on her own spit when she saw who it was. She tore the door open and gawked at the visitor. "Neji Hyuuga? What are you doing here?"

The white-eyed jounin looked down at Anko, keeping his face harshly stoic. "Hello, Anko-sensei. I came to speak with Katana Suterusu. Is she here?"

"Katana? How did you know she was here?"

"I requested the information from the Hokage. I wanted to speak with her about something that happened recently. I was unable to locate her at any of the training fields she is normally at, and I was told to check here."

"She's here, but I don't think she's in any shape to talk with anyone."

Neji raised one of his fine eyebrows. "What are you implying?"

"Well, at the moment, she's hacking up phlegm and blowing her brains out through her nose into tissues." Neji looked terribly confused at Anko's words. "She's sick, and I mean, like, deathbed sick."

"Is that so?" Neji muttered, puzzled as to how Katana could have gotten sick so suddenly. "Do you know when she will be well again?"

"I can't say, but it may be a few days. I'll tell her you stopped by if you want."

"No, do not trouble her if she is ill. Once she is well, just tell her I need to speak with her."

"Okie-dokie-artichokie," Anko said and abruptly closed the door in the Hyuuga's face. She chuckled and chomped into a dango stick that she retrieved from the refrigerator, wondering what Neji would possibly want to talk to Katana about.

--

Katana looked almost normal after three days of lying in bed and going through innumerable boxes of tissues. She pulled herself from the tangle of blankets and dragged herself to the bathroom and turned the shower on, waiting until the water was fogging the mirrors before entering. The water burned her flesh for the first minute, but it became soothing after being cold for the past several days.

She looked down her arms and saw the few scars that refused to fade, leaving trails darker than the rest of her skin. She looked down at her stomach and frowned, seeing the fresh scar she had earned from the rebel leader. It was just above her navel and the flesh was still slightly raise from being knitted together rapidly by the medic ninjas. Shaking her head, she grabbed a bar of soap and pushed her newest scar from her mind, knowing it would become just a faded reminder in a few years.

She exited the showers several minutes later, grabbing a towel and wiping the water droplets off of her skin, shivering as the cool air brushed her flesh. Tugging on fresh clothes, she walked out of the bathroom, wringing her wet hair. Anko was sitting at the table, reading the newspaper.

"You finally took a shower. You were really starting to smell, you know."

Katana glared at Anko and ignored her snigger, walking back to her room and shutting the door, staring at the tissue-littered floor. Grumbling, Katana swept them into a pile and collapsed onto the futon again. She felt much better, but she knew she needed one more day to fully recover. But sleep was impossible with the sun shining brightly through her window and she really wanted to be outdoors.

But as she put a hand on the doorknob, the thought of facing everyone after what she had done was too daunting. Now that Neji had branded her as a monster, no one would look at he the same way anymore. But staying inside and worrying about it wasn't going to get anything done, so she opened the door and sat down adjacent to Anko in the kitchen.

"I'm going for a walk. I think some fresh air will do me well."

"Fine, knock yourself out. But don't relapse and get even sicker. I seriously don't want to catch whatever you just had." Katana rolled her eyes and was about to stand up when there was a knock at the door. Anko looked through the peephole before answering and a look of surprised sprang across her face. She tore the door open and Katana went rigid.

"Oh, hello, Neji," Anko said smoothly with a trademark grin. "I forgot to tell her, but she's a lot better now. See for yourself." Anko stood back and ushered the Hyuuga inside, and the younger shinobis locked eyes.

"What the hell do you want, Hyuuga?" Katana growled, angry that he had the nerve to come to where she was living.

"I need to speak with you," he said curtly without any inflection in his voice. "Come with me."

"And why should I? Are you not afraid to be with a monster? You seemed quite firm about the label, so why risk your life?"

Neji furrowed his brow slightly. "Just come with me." Anko cut in before Katana could respond.

"Monster? What's this about?" Anko looked between the two jounin, never liking being left out of a conversation.

"You haven't told her yet?" Neji inquired with slight disbelief.

"It isn't something you would go around blatantly proclaiming," Katana snapped angrily, glaring fiercely.

"What did you do, Katana?" Anko asked casually as if nothing but a minor bit of gossip was kept from her ears.

"It's nothing."

"I beg to differ," Neji said coldly. "It is quite an action, to tell the truth."

"Shut your mouth, Hyuuga," Katana snarled. "You had better not have told anyone else about this."

"I don't divulge personal secrets without permission, but there isn't much proof of the murder since the body disintegrated."

"Body? Murder? What did you do, Katana?"

Glaring at Neji, Katana knew she would no longer be able to keep the incident hidden from Anko. "I killed Kei," she said shortly, casting her eyes downward and gritting her teeth.

Anko looked genuinely puzzled before realizing what the younger kunoichi meant. "Kei? As in your sister, Keikoku?" Anko waited until Katana nodded. "You killed her?! What were you thinking? I told you that you just couldn't go around killing people. If this leaks out—"

"Just stop," Katana snapped, glaring at Anko with a cold expression. "My business with my family is something you have no right to intrude. Just let me handle things the way I see fit." She stormed past Neji and disappeared out the door, vanishing down the hall.

* * *

Katana stared angrily into the pond she sat in front of, watching two small fish swim easily beneath the glassy surface. She rubbed her eyes, annoyed at the tears that had slowly been welling up. She was furious that she was nearly crying because of her frustration, driven to the edge by both Neji and Anko. The Hyuuga's words rang in her head and she felt her chest tighten, as if foreboding that she would relapse in her sickness. She caught a familiar flare of approaching chakra and rose to her feet, drawing one of her swords. She wanted to make him pay for his nerve to confront her.

"I swear on my sister's dead remains, if you take another step near me, this sword is going right up your ass."

Neji was unfazed by the comment. He simply paused and leaned against a nearby tree. Katana had to wonder why every training field always had some sort of thick forest-like vegetation. He looked calmly at her, eyes carefully watching every movement she made with her sword.

"I never got to speak with you."

"I left for a reason, if you hadn't noticed. Did it occur to you that I might want to be left alone?"

"It did, but I reasoned that you cut in on _my_ training enough that this would have little meaning."

_Wise ass_, Katana mentally grumbled, wanting more than anything to just sprint forward and run him through with her blade. "What could be so important that you absolutely need to speak to me about? And why me? Are you here to say that you've told the Anbu and I have two hours to get out of the Village before they come and lock me away?"

"Why would I do that?"

"I'm a monster, remember? Maybe you want to ensure the safety of the Village and put me behind bars."

Neji's glare became harsh. "If you would hear me out, maybe I could clear the air about that."

"You've come to apologize?" Katana said with mock skepticism. She let out a peal of humorless laughter. "Now I know this is just a trick. So when are the Anbu going to be here?"

"Actually, you're right," Neji said somewhat regretfully. "I have come to apologize."

"Very funny, Hyuuga," Katana growled, looking around for any sign of Anbu hiding in the immediate vicinity. "Why on earth would a Hyuuga apologize for his actions? I thought you were all too proud and arrogant to lower yourselves to ask for forgiveness. Aren't your words and decisions law?"

"If you aren't going to listen to me, then I won't waste my time."

Katana snickered and raised an eyebrow. "No, go ahead. Say what you want. I'll see how much sincerity it holds."

Neji glared and rolled his eyes in annoyance. _Why did I ever think to do this? I would probably have better chances of getting heard with hot-headed Gai-sensei. _"I will be short if you think it will be any better." Katana crossed her arms and began tapping her foot impatiently. Sighing, Neji continued. "It was wrong of me to call you a monster."

"And what makes you want to take your words back so suddenly?"

"I was thinking about the way you ran off after what I said. I realized that maybe something had happened between you and your sister that I'm unaware of. Maybe you have a reason for killing her; I must say that my own family isn't free of our vices."

_That's for damn sure_, Katana added to herself.

"In any event, it is none of my business. After Anko-sensei told me that you were ill, I thought that it might possibly have something to do with my words."

_No shit, Sherlock_.

"I had no idea it would effect you so drastically."

Katana's impatient expression melted into slight awe. "Do you mean that? Are you actually sorry, or are you just pulling my leg?"

"No, I am sorry for what I said. You aren't a monster and I should never have labeled you as such." His voice was quieter and almost sincere, strengthening his words.

Katana sheathed her sword and lowered her arms, staring at the ground, too bewildered to know what to say. "I accept your apology, no matter how strange it seems," she was able to murmur as she looked up at Neji blankly. He closed his eyes and nodded sagely, but he looked very serious when he opened his eyes.

"Now that everything is settled, there is another matter I must speak with you about," he said firmly, all the previous sincerity evaporated. Katana raised an eyebrow, wondering if getting her to accept his apology was going to trigger another event of some sort. "I was given a mission by the Hokage several days ago. Several important scrolls were stolen from the Village and I have been chosen to retrieve them; they are held in a tower not far from the Village. I can't take a whole platoon of shinobi; it would be much too difficult to remain undetected, so I was told to take just one other person. I wanted to ask you if you would come with me."

Katana looked at him in confusion. "Me? Why me? Wouldn't you work better with someone else that you're more familiar with?"

"I thought that at first, but your kekkei genkai is perfect for the mission. I can locate the scrolls and send you after them, guiding you from outside via radio. Remaining undiscovered is vital for this mission's success. Your surname means stealth, doesn't it?"

"Yes, of course," Katana said, still quite stunned that Neji had chosen her of all people to go on the mission. "Okay, if I can assure the mission's success, I'll go. But only if you won't label me for every 'out-of-the-ordinary' action I do. Words can be just as powerful as any weapon, sometimes even stronger."

"Fine, agreed." Neji nodded and turned to walk away. "We leave tomorrow. Meet at the Village gates at six thirty in the morning. Promptly."

"Got it. Oh, and if we'll be using radios, do you think we'll need code names just in case?"

"Code names? It will be just us, you know."

"But still, just to keep our identities protected if anything should happen."

"Fine," Neji said although he saw no point in such a precaution. "What do you suggest our names should be?"

"Mine will be 'Sword' and yours can be 'Spiral'," Katana stated quickly, quite proud of her idea.

"Those aren't really names. And I would prefer not to be called 'Spiral'."

"Why not? If we go with translations, then you can always be 'Sunny' because of your surname."

Neji frowned and looked away, sighing heavily. "Fine, Spiral it is."

"Great, see you at six thirty," Katana said and disappeared in a swirl of leave with a teleportation jutsu. She already felt better now that she was no longer considered a monster in Neji's eyes. The sickness seemed much farther away. She would be completely prepared for the mission tomorrow, and she thought of their code names. The Sword and the Spiral. It had a ring to it.

* * *

Author Note: This is a little more mellow than my other chapters, but I've had a hectic week _ I already have the mission planned out, so I intend to update within the weekend. I'm going to do my best with this story and try to finish a school project that I have neglected to acknowledge XD The code names were a little add-on ^_^ The "Sunny" comes from "Hyuuga", which means "towards the sun" if anyone didn't know. BTW, thank you to invisible-gurl who gave me the idea for Neji to apologize (you brought up a good point in your review). Speaking of which, thank you to all my reviewers and readers. I don't own Naruto, just my characters. Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	17. Chapter 16: We Made It

Chapter 16: We Made It

Neji had expected that he would have to wait for Katana, but she was the one waiting for him. It was a half an hour before they had determined that they would leave, but she was sitting near the gates, grinding a whetstone over one of her swords. She glanced up as he approached, but didn't pause in sharpening her swords. She ran her thumb over the blade and sheathed it, standing up and coming forward.

"That took you longer than I thought it would," Katana mocked with a smirk, slipping the whetstone into her waist pouch.

"The Hokage has a habit of being very difficult to interact with this early in the morning," Neji responded flatly with a hint of annoyance. "She was half asleep when I arrived and she seemed to have misplaced the mission scroll. That was the reason for my delay."

"Fair enough," Katana muttered, picking up her shuriken holster and fastening it around her right thigh. "So where are we headed?"

"As I told you before, not far. The tower where the scrolls are being held is several kilometers outside the Village. The Hokage gave me a map, but I should be able to locate it with my Byakugan easily enough."

"Then let's get going, shall we?" Katana said, shouldering a rucksack that fitted over her back-plate apparatus. "I don't want to spend forever on this mission."

They showed the scroll to the guard at the gate and they exited the Village, leaping off into the surrounding forest. It was still dark beneath the trees, the sun not having risen high enough to penetrate the thick branches. Katana kept her senses aware to she wouldn't run into any trees, while Neji simply used his Byakugan to see what was in front of him. They traveled swiftly, much faster than any four-man platoon could have gone, and they had covered two kilometers by the time the sun was able to dimly flit through the leaves, and Neji came to a stop.

He fished in the shoulder sack he carried on missions, retrieving the map and two radios the Hokage had given him. He handed Katana one of the radios and laid the map flat on the tree branch that they perched on. Katana fastened the radio around her neck above her choker, adjusting it so it wouldn't strangle her and fit the earpiece into her ear. Neji did the same and they crouched over the map.

"We're somewhere in this area," Neji said, pointing to a spot in-between the Village and a tower marked with a red X. "We should get closer before we make any plans, but be prepared for anything."

"Certainly," Katana responded as Neji rolled up the map and replaced it into his shoulder sack. "What exactly did these scrolls we have to retrieve have on them? To send two jounin after them, either they were very important or the thieves are skilled."

"I was only told that the scrolls have a great importance to the Village," Neji muttered. "The Hokage didn't see it fit to confide in me any other information. But she did say to not open them once we retrieved them. Whatever they detail, she wanted it unseen by our eyes."

"That's humorous, considering that you can see _almost _everything," Katana said slyly, referring to herself with the "almost". "By the way, is that the only reason you chose me for this mission? Because of my kekkei genkai?"

"Yes, of course," Neji said with a raised eyebrow. "Why else would I?" Katana shrugged and jumped into the trees. "Don't go too far ahead. Remember that you're not the team leader on this mission."

Katana slowed her pace and fell into step behind Neji, grumbling that she wasn't in charge. She had never been one to follow orders or succumb to another's superiority, but she knew Neji was as resilient as stone. He had been all too guiltless with his mutiny on their mission with the rebels; he had taken over too quickly for Katana to think he would put up with wrong judgment. And his words had proved his point, as well. She could see he was clearly content to be the leader on this mission, allowed to give orders that would be obeyed without question.

But Katana wasn't about to let him have all the fun. She knew when decisions would lead to a mistake, and she had no problem in offering her own suggestion or disobeying to do what she thought was right. This had saved her genin team from failing several missions. But she had a strong feeling that Neji's reasoning would be better than any hotheaded, foolish genin. She leaped through the forest after him, visibility better now that the sun had risen higher in the sky. They had been traveling in silence for several hours before Neji finally stopped.

"The tower is close by," he reported, Byakugan scanning the trees in front of them. "We can reach it in less than fifteen minutes, but there is an outcrop of rock close by that can provide cover while we gain information about the architecture."

"You're the team leader," Katana said with a shrug, earning her a glare. If she couldn't issue any orders, she might as well just piss him off and get a laugh out of if.

The outcrop of rock gave the two shinobi an ideal view of the tower, and Neji was able to get a clear view of the entire inside with his Byakugan. It looked like a large cylinder from their position, made of brick and stone. Neji stated that there were twenty floors, all connected by one single spiraling staircase that stretched the entire height of the building, other staircases on each of the floors. Several platoons of guards were patrolling each floor. Neji and Katana's destination was the top floor; the level was populated with more guards than the others and Neji said that it was undoubtedly where the scrolls were being held.

"We should wait until night to take action," Katana suggested. "The guards will be less aware and there will be no chance that I will be seen. How exactly are we going to get the scrolls? You still haven't told me."

"Now that I know what the tower looks like, I plan for you to go in alone and I will guide you from the outside with the radio."

"Oh, so I'm going to be the one risking my life while you watch from the sidelines?" Katana said sardonically, crossing her arms. "Very affective, Hyuuga. So this _was_ all just a plan to get rid of me."

"Enough of your claims that I want to kill you," Neji snapped. "It is starting to annoy me." Katana snorted and they locked glares. They stood in silence for a long time, neither looking away or blinking, locked in a staring contest. "We were going to wait anyway," Neji continued, still not breaking his glare. "Those guards aren't going to be posted for the entire day. I want to see when their shift changes. That is when we will go."

"Hold on, what's with the 'we'?" Katana said raising an eyebrow. "I thought you said I was going in alone."

"You will be entering the tower alone, but I won't be remaining idle," Neji retorted coldly. "I will be just outside the tower so I can efficiently guide you and be close in case anything goes wrong."

"Aw, are you starting to care?" Katana said sarcastically. Neji rolled his eyes with a sigh of annoyance, turning his white eyes to the tower. "I really don't understand how you think, Hyuuga. One moment you call me a monster, the next you apologize and bring me on a mission, then you act all pissed off towards me. What's your reason for that?"

"Let's just say I've realized a mistake I made in the not-so-distant past," Neji muttered. Katana threw him a glare and knew that the mistake was bringing her on the mission. She lifted her hand to her neck and pressed the button on her radio, seeing Neji's hands fly to his ear in pain from the high-pitch frequencies. He tore out the earpiece and glared at Katana in a way that said "if we weren't from the same village, you would be dead".

"Keep your eyes on the tower, team leader," Katana said mockingly. "It's your duty to see when the guards change shifts. I'm afraid to say that my eyes aren't as talented and beautiful as yours." Katana bit her tongue as soon as she spoke, but the words were already out. She turned her back and walked in the opposite direction abruptly, heading towards the edge of the outcrop that led back into the forest.

Neji stared after her, shocked and confused. He speculated that he had possibly heard her wrong, but her words had been transparently clear. She had vanished into the forest, walking with stiff limbs, and Neji turned his eyes away, trying to focus on the activity in the tower. But he found it difficult to concentrate. _She's wrong, though_, he thought absently. _She does have nice eyes compared to others—_

Neji caught himself before he went any further, wondering why such a thought had come into his mind. He replaced the earpiece he had previously removed and put his full attention into scanning the tower. He took in every detail of each level, counting the guards carefully, taking note that only a handful had developed chakra systems. Most of them were just normal people carrying spears and swords. He heard a buzz come from his earpiece and tore out of his analysis of the tower.

"Sword to Spiral. Come in Spiral. Over." The voice was Katana's.

Neji pressed the button at his neck. "Is this necessary? You can just come back and we can talk in person."

The line was dead for a moment, before Katana responded. "I wanted to make sure that these things worked. Sorry about before. But you didn't use the correct speech pattern. You have to do that, Spiral. Over."

"And why do I have to?"

"Just do it. It makes things easier. So how are things in the tower? Anything to report? Over."

"This would be much simpler if you would just come back here." Neji waited for a response, but the line remained quiet. "Over."

"That's better. But I'm not there for a reason, Spiral. I'm testing how far the connection of these radios can go. Over."

Neji rolled his eyes and knew it would be pointless to argue over long distance to get her to come back, so he changed the topic. "I have a feeling that the shift isn't going to change until late at night. It would make sense, after all. Over."

"Yeah I had the same thought." Neji heard a crunch and snap come from Katana's end, followed by a muffled curse.

"Katana? Are you still there."

"Yeah, I just slipped, that's all. There are a lot of muddy leaves and they look normal until you step on them. But anyway, remember the code names, Spiral. Over."

"Fine, Sword," he muttered, almost imagining the mocking smirk spreading over Katana's scarred face. "Over."

"I'm heading back now. These radios seem sufficient, so I don't see any point in continuing to test them. Over."

Neji shook his head and returned to watch the tower. When Katana returned, neither of them mentioned her comment about Neji's eyes.

* * *

Night had fallen several hours ago and Neji and Katana were slowly creeping closer to the tower. They remained concealed in the shadows, Neji's Byakugan keeping a close look on the structure before them and the surrounding area. He had seen promising movement within the tower, signaling that the shift would be changing soon. The guards were slowly descending from the upper levels of the tower, being quickly replaced by the next shift that was climbing the spiraling staircase to their posts. The two shinobi stopped once they reached the shadowed wall of the tower, Neji looking for an entry point.

"The closest entry place to the top is a window on the fourteenth level," he said quietly. "As far as I can see, that is the closest way in besides the main door."

"Fine then," Katana said in an equally quiet voice. She wove several hand seals and vanished. "I'll contact you once I'm inside." Her voice seemed to come from the air in front of him and he felt as if something moved passed him.

Neji turned his eyes up, watching the ninth floor carefully. Two platoons of guards were taking their posts, leisurely settling down and getting ready for the night shift. He narrowed his eyes and saw one of the guards drop to his knees, clutching his throat. The others looked up in surprise, but soon joined their comrade. Neji could see different wounds open up, several on the chest, more on the neck, and one through the skull. They lay bleeding on the floor, and the other guards that were busy ascending the stairs were entirely oblivious to the murder just behind one of the numerous doors.

"Sword to Spiral. I'm in, one floor down. Over."

"Spiral to Sword. To your right there's a door. Beyond it is a staircase that leads to the next level. Take it to avoid the main stairway. Over."

"Roger. Over." Katana shot up the hidden stairway, but paused behind the door leading to the fifteenth level. "Spiral, give me a count of guards. Over."

"There's only a platoon and a half. Over." Neji looked up and saw the guards turn to the door as it opened all on its own, seeing their expressions become confused and they looked wildly around. Seconds later, they were dead on the ground, Katana striking them in their most important vitals. "Well done, Sword. Another door to your left with two platoons on the next floor. Over."

"Why thank you, Spiral. Aren't you polite?" Katana's quiet voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Just get going. I think someone heard you that time. Over." Neji watched several guards pause in front of the fifteenth floor door, looking undecided on whether to enter or not.

Katana shot up the staircase before the roused guards had time to thoroughly analyze the situation, bursting into the next room and immediately attacking those who stood guard. They fell beneath her blades, blood spurting like fountains of ruby liquid from their pierced vitals. But one of the guards let out a scream as she buried her sword into his chest. The hair on the back of her neck stood up and her skin crawled, eyes flashing towards the door. Already she heard voices outside, the others guards instantly alerted.

"Sword to Spiral. Next directions and fast. Things just got complicated. Over."

"I can see that." Neji's voice was even and almost slightly annoyed. "There's a staircase to your left and—." Katana shot towards the door. "Wait, don't go that way!"

Katana froze as guards came spilling from both doors, the one leading to the main staircase and the one leading to the seventeenth level. Even though she was invisible, Katana still felt trapped. Should any of them get too close, they could possibly make contact, giving away her position; she was still a solid piece of matter.

Katana inched away from the spreading guards, reaching a wall and flattening herself against it. She slipped towards the other door, carefully watching the movement of the guards scanning the perimeter of the room. She hooked her hand around the doorknob when one guard's elbow brushed against her chest. Katana reflexively slammed her foot into his shin, and she shot up the stairs as chaos erupted behind her.

"Give me directions now, Hyuuga, or things could get ugly," Katana said, not bothering to lower her voice or use proper radio speech.

"Most guards are converging on the seventeenth floor. Please tell me that isn't where you are."

"No, I'm standing behind the door leading to the eighteenth level. I need to get out of here as soon as possible. What's the status?"

Neji scanned the tower, trying to find the safest route. He looked to where Katana said she was and his breath caught in his throat. "Get out of there now!"

"Wha—?" Katana's reply began, but Neji saw the door she had said she was by fly open, emitting a stream of guards descending to greet the chaos. Neji saw some of them trip and tumble the rest of the way down the stairs, but they weren't the only ones. Katana's shape was among them.

The force of the guards plowing into her had jarred her concentration and her kekkei genkai was deactivated. She landed in a tangled heap surrounded by guards, trying to blink away the bursts of light that appeared as her head smacked into one of the steps. She finally focused her vision and was locked with the gaze of one of the guards. He stared at her in shock, mouth opening and closing soundlessly. Katana wrenched a sword from the body of the guard that had fallen on top of it and buried in between the other guard's eyes. She pulled herself out of the pile and ran up the stairs.

"You're still visible," Neji's voice said from her earpiece and she hastily wove the needed seals and disappeared from view. He looked up high at the top floors of the tower, watching the pattern that the guards were moving in. "Listen, none of the guards on the top floor have moved; there's at least eight platoons. Are you sure you can handle it?"

"Don't underestimate me," Katana said, her voice heavy with panting and labored breaths. "I'm right behind the door to the twentieth floor. Wish me luck." Neji watched as the door opened and Katana clearly threw herself into the ranks of guards. He saw many fall at first, but then a motion caught his eye below the fight. He looked and saw the other guards were slowly climbing the main staircase, coming to reinforce those on the top floor.

"Katana, reinforcements are coming your way. You should—."

"SHIT! Hyuuga! Help! Hyu—!" Her line went dead.

Neji looked up and saw that Katana had become visible again; she was encircled by the guards, numerous swords pointed in her direction, sitting on the floor. Neji's widened and he ran up the tower wall, chakra on is feet. He could see one of the guards step up to Katana and snap his fingers. Two others came from behind and she was roughly grabbed, her struggles to free herself in vain. The first guard pointed his sword between her eyes, a malicious smirk on his face.

Neji sprinted past the window Katana had entered through, knowing he didn't have time to enter and climb the stairs. He frantically searched for a weapon in his shoulder bag, hands closing around the hilt of a kunai and brushing a piece of paper. He removed the two, relieved to find that the paper was an explosive tag. Attaching it to the ring of the kunai, he threw it up towards the top of the tower, burying it into the small overhang of the roof. The tag ignited and blew a hole into the side of the tower, disrupting the guard in his swing to sever Katana's head from her shoulders. Katana pulled herself out of the guards' grasp during the confusion, running towards Neji as he leaped into the room.

"Just in time," she said in an out-of-breath voice. "When I slipped earlier, I did something to my leg and falling down the stairs didn't help matters. We have to get out of here fast."

The guards began to encircle to two shinobi and they were forced to the middle of the room, back to back. Neji lowered into his Jyuuken stance and Katana lifted her swords, both of them ready for an attack coming from any side. Katana reached back inconspicuously, brushing Neji's hand with her own. He glanced back at her and she nodded. They ran at the guards in tandem.

Blood gushed from wounds opened by Katana's swords, and limbs were rendered useless by Neji's Jyuuken. They worked well, Katana killing every guard that Neji immobilized, and Neji striking each half-alive, bleeding guard dead with a chakra-powered strike to the heart. Katana jumped over dead bodies to add others to their numbers, spilling blood onto the floor and splashing it up onto her face and clothes. Neji made cleaner kills than she did, but he was using "gentle fist" after all. The final two guards ran at Neji together, spears raised. He threw them both into the air with Kuushou, flying straight into Katana's swords.

Katana pulled her swords from their bodies, looking around at the corpse-littered ground, breathing heavily. Both her and Neji had sustained numerous minor injuries, but nothing serious. She looked at Neji and smirked, wiping a splatter of blood off of her cheek. Stray strands of her hair were loose from her bun, hanging around her face, giving her an unkempt appearance, but it suited her in a way. Neji tore his eyes from Katana, wondering why he had been so fixated on her wild features, and scanned the floor, looking into the lower levels of the tower. His eyes widened slightly.

"We have to get out of here," he said harshly, making Katana jump. "Others are coming from the very bottom levels, and they're coming fast. I don't know if we'll have enough time to get away."

Katana sheathed her still-bloody swords and walked towards the wall. "I have an idea. Come here." Neji cautiously approached her and she began weaving seals. He rested against the wall. "Deactivate your Byakugan," Katana said once she finished weaving her seals. "Hold onto me."

"I beg your pardon," Neji said, clearly caught off guard.

Katana glared at him. "Just keep your mouth shut. Don't say anything and don't move at all." She stepped up to him and threw her arms around his neck, making Neji freeze in shock. He reflexively went to push her away, but saw the air around them become hazy, as if looking through dirty glass. Katana rested her head against his chest and the door opened, guards spilling into the room with raised weapons.

The two shinobi stood still as statues, barely daring to breathe. The guards filled the room and Neji wrapped his arms around Katana as they came closer. But they looked right past them, the guards completely unaware that the two shinobi were standing right in front of them. Neji glanced down at Katana, seeing her eyes tightly closed as if she was focusing intently. The guards came closer, searching every inch of the room, and one paused directly in front of them.

"The hole! The stairs!" One guard cried, pointing at the exit ways in turn. "They've probably gone already! We must catch them before they get too far!" For an agonizingly long moment, it seemed that the guards were going to disregard the exclamation. But several voices stated their agreement, and the guards ran toward the doors, exiting the room as fast as possible.

The two shinobi were alone again, alone and safe, but they hardly dared to move yet. Katana looked up at Neji, still wrapped in each other's arms, and their eyes met for a moment. Katana deactivated her kekkei genkai, the air around them clearing. She took in every detail of his moonlight-illuminated face and smirked gently.

"Even though we had our backs up against the wall, we made it. I was able to get the scrolls while I was fighting before you came," she said quietly. "Let's get out of here."

"I agree," Neji responded. The two shinobi slipped from each other's arms and ran down the side of the tower into the night.

* * *

Author Note: I said I would update again this weekend, and here you have it ^_^ I really should be sleeping right now or working on a math project, but that doesn't seem nearly as fun as this. I's trying to work on the pairing, but it's a little difficult '-_- I never realized how difficult NejixOC could be while still keeping him in character... But I liked how this chapter turned out. Well, I'm off to get some much needed sleep. I own nothing except my OCs. Thank you to all my readers and reviewers (I'm always happy to hear from you X3 ) Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	18. Chapter 17: A Place For My Head

Chapter 17: A Place For My Head

Katana rested her hand on Neji's shoulder, her chakra glowing faintly as she healed a small gash. She sighed quietly as the skin knitted itself together beneath her palm, and she sat back once she was finished. A gentle wind blew and she shivered, pulling her sweater tighter around her shoulders, but it did little to fight off the chill of the night air. Neji seemed immune to the cold and he cast her a sidelong glance with a raised eyebrow.

He could clearly see that she wasn't in the best of conditions. They had moved a considerable distance from the tower that night and they had only paused for Katana to heal their wounds. She looked worn from using so much chakra, and Neji hoped that she wouldn't pass out; he had no interest in carrying her. Katana exhaled heavily on her hands and rubbed them together, still visibly shivering.

"We should stop for the night," Neji said, but it was more of an order than a suggestion. Katana looked at him with question, but wasn't going to argue in the least. She began to rummage in her rucksack and Neji suddenly realized why she was getting no warmth from the sweater. It was still damp with blood that had come from the guards she had fought, and the wind made the liquid icy. "You should take that sweater off."

Katana stared at him, taken off guard. She seemed to want to make a comment, but regained her composure swiftly. "Do you want me to freeze?"

"You would be better if your clothing was dry, and it's blood that you're covered with if you haven't noticed," Neji said matter-of-factly, folding her arms over his chest. Katana glanced down at herself and bit her lip, previously not aware of exactly how much blood had gotten on her. She pulled the sweater off and shoved it into her rucksack, but left her arms exposed to the cold wind.

"Now what, Hyuuga? I'll become hypothermic within the hour if I stay like this."

Neji knew this was true and sighed heavily, resenting what he would have to do. "Come closer," he ordered coldly, making Katana approach warily. She rubbed her hands over her arms, trying to fight off the chill, crawling up to Neji's side. He reached and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, Katana's breath catching in her throat.

"What're you—?"

"Do you want to face the chill alone?" the Hyuuga's remark stung and he didn't look at her, focusing his eyes everywhere else. "This is just so you don't get sick again. The combination of cold and drained chakra could cause a relapse. This means nothing more, understand?"

Katana looked up at him and her expression of shock softened. She dared to lean into his chest, resting her head on his shoulder. He tensed for a moment, but made no move to shift away and let her curl up against him. Neji rested his back more heavily against the tree he was leaning on and glanced down at Katana. She looked peaceful and had stopped shivering with the heat of his body. She slowly became heavier and it became apparent that she had fallen asleep. Neji looked up at the tree leaves above him and knew it was going to be a long night.

* * *

The gates of Konohagakure became visible the next night. Traveling had been slow because of the minor wound Katana's moment of clumsiness had cost her leg, and she couldn't properly heal it because she wasn't entirely sure of what was wrong with it. Neji hadn't been pleased with the slow progress, and he was all the more irritable because Katana had fallen asleep on his shoulder, forcing him to remain stationary the entire night. The Village was silent as the sentries admitted them through the gates; the common people had long since retired to bed.

"I'll take the scrolls to the Hokage," Neji said firmly, holding his hand out. "Will you be okay to walk back to Anko's apartment?"

"Jeez, you're awfully caring all of a sudden, aren't you?" Katana murmured, placing the scrolls into the Hyuuga's hand, quickly pulling her hand back as their fingers accidentally brushed. _Maybe that stick up his ass has finally went away._ Neji just rolled his eyes.

"I don't want to hear you complain that you were unable to get home. Next time, I won't bother to ask." Neji swiftly turned around leaped away into the dark streets of the Village in the direction of the Hokage's Office.

_Nope, the stick is still there, _Katana grumbled mentally and darted off into the direction of Anko's apartment. She silently slipped into the apartment complex and dashed up the stairs, but slowed once a line of pain streaked up her leg. She climbed to one of the top floors and plodded down the hallway, counting doors. She came to Anko's and turned the knob, but it held fast.

A cold chill ran down Katana's spine and she reached into her pocket, but her key wasn't there. Getting in would have been simple, but Anko had a special lock that was chakra resistant, so it could only be opened by a key. Katana's key was hanging just inside the door, so close it was almost mocking her. She knocked heavily on the door, just quiet enough not to wake the neighbors, but there was no answer. Feeling her stomach sink, Katana gave into the current situation: she was locked out.

* * *

_'Just keep your mouth shut. Don't say anything or move at all.' Neji watched Katana throw her arms around his neck, enveloping them in a cloak of chakra. The guards came streaming through the doors, fanning out within the room. Neji wrapped his own arms around Katana, making the space the chakra cloak had to cover as small as possible. The one guard called out and they began to depart, unaware that their targets had been right beside them._

_Katana looked up at him, and he noticed that there was no blood on her face or clothes. Their eyes locked and she whispered something he didn't hear. He leaned closer, asking her to repeat what she had said. She breathed quietly into his ear, speaking in a hushed tone as the chakra cloak dissipated. _

_'I never meant what I did. I would never hurt you. Please, believe me.'_

_Neji began to ask her what she meant, but the doors were thrown open. Katana whipped her head around and gave a cry of surprise as the guards returned. She clung tighter to Neji's neck and turned back to face him, eyes wide with fear. There was a moment when everything was still, just for a moment, before two guards roughly grabbed Katana and wrenched her from Neji's arms. _

_'Hyuuga! Help! Hyu—!' Another guard lifted a sword and smashed the pommel into the back of Katana's skull. Her words died and she hung her head, conscious but too dazed to comprehend. _

_'Katana! Let her go!' Neji heard the words, but he didn't seem to speak them, but he knew they were his. But the guards didn't seem to hear him, as if he were indeed silent. One guard looked up at him though, and a malicious grin shadowed his features._

_'Don't worry; we're doing you a favor. Just think, this bitch will finally be dead.'_

_Neji only then recognized that the guard was none other than Gaidoku, Katana's uncle who had poisoned him. He took a step forward and Katana raised her head to him, eyes showing how frightened she was. _

_'Please, Hyuuga, help me! I didn't mean to try and kill you! I would never cause you any trouble! I would never hurt you!'_

_'Such lies, wouldn't you say?' Gaidoku chuckled and raised his sword. 'It would be shameful to help someone who had done you such wrong, am I correct?' Gaidoku looked at Neji and smirked coldly._

_Neji was frozen in place, the ground rising and wrapping around his feet, similar to a Doton. Katana looked behind her, staring at her uncle, watching as his sword fell. Neji was unable to move and Katana called for his assistance once more, but he could do nothing. Nothing as he snapped his eyes shut as the sword fell onto her skull._

_:-:-:-:-:_

Neji's eyes flew open and he sat bolt upright, white eyes wide and flicking back and forth. He scanned the room, but he wasn't in the tower surrounded by guards. He was in his own room in the Hyuuga Complex, woken by the nightmare. He became aware that he was breathing heavily, as if he was enduring a workout issued by Gai-sensei. Shaking his head, Neji rose to his feet, rubbing his face and trying to banish the images still lingering from his sleep.

It had been so real, so real that he could almost feel Katana's arms around his neck and hear her voice echoing in his ears. He knew sleep would be impossible to drift back to into right away with the scene still vividly playing behind his eyelids every time he blinked. He pulled on an extra pair of clothes and slipped out of the window in his room, heading towards the training fields.

Neji had no intention to train, he just wanted to be somewhere where he would be able to think and clear his mind. His destination was a medium-sized training field with a large grove of trees that had a clearing in the exact center. The clearing was big and provided a view of the sky above, making it an ideal place to meditate. Neji reached it swiftly and began to weave through the trees expertly, familiar with each root because he came there so often. But an unfamiliar presence crept into his awareness as he neared the clearing.

Activating his Byakugan, Neji made every effort to mask his chakra presence while still keeping his kekkei genkai in use. The clearing was up ahead, but it was far from empty. A generous group of people was clustered within the circle of trees, standing or sitting in no orderly manner. Deactivating his Byakugan, Neji darted forward, wondering what the people could possibly be doing at this time of night. He came to a halt just outside the ring of trees, able to hear the conversation that was going on.

"We must take action!" The voice came from a man standing near the center of the clearing. His face was covered with black markings, almost similar to tiger stripes or a jaguar spots, but they were a pattern of their own.

"That is understood, but what can we possibly do? We need her alive, but every time we send someone after her, she murders them." The second voice was older and a person stepped up to the first speaker, the physical similarities between them striking Neji as odd.

"We just need to send out someone stronger, someone who will be able to fend off her attacks and render her immobile so we can take her." The first man glared harshly at the older one, daring the other to challenge his reasoning.

"And who do you suggest? All the people you send out are the ones who die. Are you happy about that? Just think of who has given their life for this clan. Genkaku, our best illusionist, was murdered; Gaidoku, our poison specialist, and three of his sons no better off than him; Kuragari, the first we sent, died of his wounds once he returned; and you sent Keikoku, my beautiful Kei."

Neji felt a chill crawl up his spine. Some names were familiar. The older man looked down with regret, still whispering the name of Katana's sister, and Neji looked carefully at the people in the clearing. Most of them were wearing the same long black cloak with a disproportional yin-yang sign on the back. Both larger sections were black and the only white was the two smaller circles and a thin line separating the large sections. On a closer inspection, Neji discovered that they all had similar piercing brown eyes. They all looked as if...

"I have a suggestion," a woman said, stepping between the two males who seemed about to fight. "Why don't we just kill her?" There was silence following her words, quickly replaced with uneasy murmurs.

"That is out of the question, Kinkou," the older man said firmly, glaring at the woman. "We need her alive, or our kekkei genkai will disappear when the next generation dies."

"But hasn't she caused more trouble than what she's worth?" Kinkou questioned with a cold tone. "No matter how valuable she is, we can't have Katana continue to murder the rest of us. She is a disgrace to the Suterusu Clan."

Neji's speculation was true.

"Do not talk about my daughter that way," the older man snarled, looking ready to attack Kinkou.

"Daughter or not, she must be taken care of, Shuhan," Kinkou said unfazed, unaffected by the man's tone. "I think your son should take things to the next level with who he sends after her." Kinkou turned away from Shuhan to the younger man with the marked face. "You should think of you options, Tenma."

Tenma raised an eyebrow, making the patterns on his skin stretch. "What are you suggesting, Aunt Kinkou?" He suddenly seemed to realize what she was implying. "No, I can't send _them_ after my sister. Katana _would_ be killed."

"Not necessarily," Kinkou said with a smirk. "They can be programmed any way if you know how."

"But they should be used only as a last resort, sister," Shuhan said bitterly to Kinkou. "The Rinji Seibutsu aren't to be taken lightly. If we send one after her, it will stop at nothing to do what we assign it to. And if, somehow, it dies, we would be throwing away one of our greatest weapons."

"But they would never be able to lose, Father," Tenma said confidently, nodding to his aunt. "That is quite an idea."

"But think of your luck in sending out fighters," Shuhan growled at his son. "It's you're fault they're dead. Think of who they are, think of your dear sister."

"I do regret sending out Gaidoku and Kei, don't get me wrong, Father. But the others were expendable. If we were to use one of the Rinji Seibutsu, it would end our fight. All we need is to get Katana back into our hands, and then molding her to our likes will be simple."

"It is for the better, Shuhan-nii-san," Kinkou said smoothly, her tone almost daring him to argue.

"Fine, but if this doesn't work, you shall bear the guilt and responsibility of being the end of our kekkei genkai, Kinkou."

"I understand, Shuhan." The smile on Kinkou's face was malicious and proud.

"It's settled, then," Tenma said, his marked face firmly set. "Once things are prepared, we shall use the Rinji Seibutsu. The rest is out of my hands."

Neji felt his blood run cold as the large group began to disperse out of the clearing. He turned and bolted away, knowing it was dangerous to be so close when spying. He leaped through the trees, thoughts reeling worse than when he had first woken from his nightmare. He hardly understood half of what the Suterusu Clan was discussing, but it couldn't mean anything good. The only thing that Neji knew for certain was that Katana's father and brother were out to get her. And he had to warn her.

* * *

Author Note: ugh, I've had a rough day... but I don't feel the need to elaborate. I'll just say that softball practice at eight in the morning isn't a cool thing, especially since it rained yesterday and the fields were muddy and wet. Anyway, about the chapter... I introduced some more of Katana's family and their name translations are as follows: Kinkou=balance, equilibrium(she was supposed to be a peace-maker, but I don't know if it worked out so well '-.-), Shuha=leader, head position(he's the clan leader FYI), and Tenma=demon, evil spirit(it shall be revealed why in the future). Rinji=special, extraordinary and Seibutsu=creature so they mean "special, extraordinary creature" (they shall be brought into the story soon). Other than that, thank you to Shadowblossom15 for giving me some ideas and all that (buddy!). Big thanks to my readers and reviewers, and I only own the Suterusu Clan, nothing else. Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	19. Chapter 18: If Everyone Cared

Chapter 18: If Everyone Cared

In the ever-changing life as a shinobi, the only thing that stayed the same was the sky.

Katana lay back in the grass, the cool, loamy earth firm beneath her. She sighed quietly, looking at the twinkling stars winking from heaven. The night was clear, and she would prefer no other time to be locked out of Anko's apartment. She connected the stars with imaginary lines, recognizing constellations and making her own. She felt so small in the world, knowing how enormous space and the universe were. It seemed to be the only thing in the world that she could rely on.

Absently lifting her hand, Katana ran her fingers over the smooth jewel set into her choker, closing her eyes for a moment. In that moment, she was no longer a sixteen-year-old jounin, and she had returned to being an eleven-year-old genin, lying in the grass with her teammates. She could almost hear her sensei describing the various legends behind the stars, Riki and the other male snickering and muttering to each other about slandering her. She would roll over and glare at them, snarling that they were being rude and that they should listen to their sensei. Riki would then mock her and they would begin to fight, only stopping once restrained by the others who were no longer alive.

But Katana opened her eyes and she was alone. Of all the training fields in Konohagakure, she was drawn to this one. She had spent the most time with her team here, even if she had hated them bitterly. They had been the closest thing to family she had had. They had lain in the grass together for what their sensei called "bonding time", but it had mostly just been a time for Katana and Riki to fight. But, in a way, that could be considered bonding. Especially the time when she had hog tied him when he had fallen asleep.

A gentle breeze ruffled the nearby tree branches, swirling leaves around her motionless form. Katana caught a scent on the wind and sat up, looking towards the trees, a lump in her throat. And, sure enough, Riki stood just within the trees. He approached slowly, dressed more casually than normal.

"What are you doing here?" Katana asked, locking his green eyes with her own. Even in the dark, they seemed to shimmer like dark emeralds.

"I should ask you the same thing," he said with a smirk, coming to stand over her. "But I don't think you're going to tell me until I tell you."

"So you do understand something about me," Katana said with sarcastic surprise.

"I've gotten a lot smarter since I was a genin. Anyway, I'm here because I'm…looking for something. I lost it awhile ago and I have a feeling that this would be the best place to look for it."

"At night?" Katana questioned with a raised eyebrow. Riki shrugged. "I got locked out so I have to stay out here until I can find a way to open the door. Someone may suspect I'm a criminal if I try to climb through the window in the dead of night."

"That really sucks," Riki commented. "I would offer to let you spend the night at my place, but my father would freak out and you would probably say no anyways."

"You really have learned. That's good to know."

Riki smiled warmly and lay down in the grass next to Katana and he began to stare at the sky. "This brings back memories, doesn't it?"

"More than I would like," Katana muttered, surrendering back to the ground, resting her arms behind her head. "Sometimes I wish I could have a second chance at the past. But then I wonder how it will affect the future."

"Everything happens for a reason," Riki spoke philosophically, glancing over at his former teammate. "We may not be here if we didn't act the way we did." Riki looked over at Katana and noticed that she wasn't wearing her typical sweater and she shivered every time a breeze blew. "Aren't you cold."

"Just a little. I've been through worse."

Riki sat up and pulled off his light jacket, handing to the kunoichi. "You need it more than I do. And I won't be cold so don't think of giving it back."

Katana looked from the jacket to Riki's face, clearly astonished. "No tricks? Last time you offered me an article of clothing, it was a scarf and you tried to strangle me once it was around my neck."

Riki nervously chucked, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Heh, you still remember that, huh? Well, that was several years ago. I wouldn't do something like that now." Katana pulled the jacket on and laid back down, making sure Riki had nothing planned. It was still warm from his body heat and she felt much better. Satisfied that he would do nothing to harm her, Katana closed her eyes and felt content to listen to her former teammates breathing.

"Why did you do all those things to me when we were young?" Katana asked, opening her eyes and looking over at Riki. He was clearly caught off guard.

"Well, I guess it was jealousy mostly," he said after thinking for a while. "I mean, you were so strong as a genin and you were really mature and serious. I was just a washout from the Academy and to have a girl that always surpassed me always pissed me off. You were like the bar that I couldn't get over, and I knew how well words worked to bring someone down. Everything I said and did was to try and lower you so that someday I may have been able to surpass you. But it seems it never fully worked, even to this day. After all, I'm still only a chuunin."

"Jealousy? Is that really the only reason?" Katana say up, looking at Riki with confusion. "It makes sense, but there has to be something more. Is there?"

_If only I had the nerve to tell you._ "I'm not sure. Maybe there's something I never thought of, but jealousy was my main reason. Can you ever forgive me?"

"Are you still jealous?"

"Uh, I don't know. Maybe a little bit, but it's foolish to be jealous of someone. No one have entire superiority over someone. I do have the upper hand in some areas."

"And what would those areas be?" Katana inquired, interested to know where Riki thought he had supremacy.

"Well, I have a lot of height over you and— OW!" Riki rolled onto his side, wrapping his arms around his stomach where Katana had just punched him.

"Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to hit you so hard!" Katana crawled around to face him, sputtering her apologies. "You remember how sensitive I am about my height. Sometimes I forget my own strength."

Riki closed his eyes and groaned flopping back down into the grass, coughing to get back the air that had been knocked out of his lungs. He could almost feel the area bruising as he lay there, Katana's punch more powerful than he thought at first. He suddenly felt her hands on his stomach and his eyes flew open. Katana initiated her medical ninjutsu and her hands shimmered in the darkness, healing the bruise that was beginning to surface. Riki watched her lift her hands once she was finished, and he wished that she had taken longer. He sat up and looked into eyes, cocking his head to one side.

"Uh, thanks"

"I just don't want to find out that I ruptured your kidney or something," Katana said dismissively. She rested back down in the grass and sighed again. "I do forgive you, Riki."

He looked at her with wide eyes, utterly shocked. He had never expected her, Katana Suterusu, of all people to ever forgive him for the things he had done. His expression softened and he felt an enormous weight lift from his shoulders. He wasn't the only one who had changed in several years.

"I wish more people would be like this," Riki whispered, looking up at the sky again. Katana shot his a quizzical expression. "If people could learn to forgive the way you've just forgiven me, the world would be a better place. If they could just learn to love each other and stop hurting one another, everything would be okay in life."

Katana snorted. "Good luck trying to find a place like that; it would never happen. I've never heard you speak like this before. It's a nice change to hear you talk about the world and not just about yourself." Katana's eye followed a shooting star as it soared across the sky, the only difference she had seen in the many time she had looked up at it.

"We should hang out more often," Riki suggested with a casually smirk. "We have a lot to catch up on and in a field in the middle of the night isn't the most ideal place. I know you have a busy schedule because you're a jounin, but you could train with me sometime if you want."

Katana didn't bother to suppress her quiet laugh. "Sorry, but I instantly wonder what tortures you would inflict on me if we were alone. I need to retrain my mind to think differently. Anyway, I don't think you could handle training with me; you're still a chuunin after all. And I don't 'hand out', I may have changed a little, but I'm still far from a social butterfly."

"Touché," Riki muttered and gloomily looked over into the trees. "Well, I found what I was looking for, so I should head home before my father discovers that I'm gone. Are you sure you're going to be okay out here?"

"I spent four years in the wilderness, Riki. I think I can handle a night within my own Village. And what were you looking for?"

"You and your forgiveness."

Katana smirked and watched him rise to his feet. She instinctively pulled her hands against her body, a reflexive adapted from when they were younger and he used to step on her hands. She rose to her own feet and began to say goodbye when a chakra flare caught her attention. She looked towards the trees, Riki noticing as well. Katana stared in confusion as Neji leaped from the trees, running towards her.

"Thank Kami I found you," he had once he halted in front of her looking as if he had just run from Sunagakure.

"What are you doing here, Hyuuga? Are you okay? What's going on?" Katana stepped up to him, resting a shy hand on his shoulder.

"I just saw something I would probably be killed for," he said between gasps for breath. "I was in a nearby training field and I saw a large group of people gathered. I'm almost certain it was your clan."

The color visibly drained from Katana's face and her mouth hung open slightly. "Are you sure it was my clan? Were some of them wearing cloaks with a disproportional yin-yang symbol on the back?"

"Yes, exactly," Neji breathed, finally getting his breath back. "And they all had the same eyes as you." Katana's hand fell from his shoulder and her eyes went wide.

"What's going on?" Riki questioned, feeling excluded from the situation.

"What were they doing?" Katana asked quietly as if hoping that Neji wouldn't hear her and she wouldn't get an answer. "Why were they grouped together?" _It can't be for any minor occurrence. They never meet unless something of vital importance is in need of discussion._

"They were talking about you." Neji said in a serious tone. "Actually, they were discussing what to do _about _you, to be more specifically. They were quite divided about the topic."

"Katana, what do they want with you?" Riki asked, standing beside her. He noticed that she was swaying slightly, her face almost slightly green in the moonlight.

"What _do_ they want, Hyuuga? What was their decision?" Katana feared the answer she was about to receive.

"A woman, I think her name was Kinkou, suggested that they should use a last resort of some kind. A man named Shuhan and a man with a marked face called Tenma agreed with her. They weren't to eager to use the method, but they relented in the end."

"Wait, did you say Tenma? The other names belong to my father and his sister, but the third I can only guess belongs to my brother."

"You can only guess?" Riki echoed in confusion. "You don't remember your own brother's name?"

"It's not that I don't remember, but that it must have changed since I knew him," Katana said quietly. "My clan has always had peculiar methods. If you haven't noticed, our names have some relation to our appearance, lifestyle, or fighting style. It's because we have to earn them."

"You have to earn your own name?" Neji questioned in shock, never hearing of such a thing.

"Yes, we aren't named at birth. We don't receive a name until be begin to train and our talents become evident. I was given my name because of my ability to handle swords so well. And as we go on in life, our names can be changed or added to. My sister's name, Keikoku, might have been changed to Keikoku-Tora or something similar because of her tiger summons. My name might have changed to Katana-Tatsu, or something, but because I don't consider myself a part of my clan anymore, my name hasn't been altered.

"My brother's name used to be Ashi because he was so terrible and cold-blooded. But if what you say is true, and his name is Tenma, then something has been done to him to make him earn the name. And it must be something drastic for his name to be change entirely. You said he had markings on his face?"

"Yes," Neji said, still trying to process Katana's information about her clan. "The pattern was strange and I don't think I could describe it. It didn't seem to have any order."

"But the fact that he has markings is what worries me," Katana murmured, seeming to be thinking deeply about the circumstances. "The only thing I can think of is that they actually did _it_ to him. They actually…" Katana shook her head and focused her gaze back on Neji. "You never told me what the method they were going to use was." But she felt that she already knew what it was and her heart began to flutter with fear.

"I think they said that they were going to use the Rinji Seibutsu," Neji said and watched as Katana blanched further. She swayed back and forth and Riki put his arm around her shoulders to steady her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, emerald eyes watching as Katana stared at the ground with wide eyes.

"I have to get out of here," Katana whispered. Neji had never heard her voice so colored with fear. She pulled out of Riki's grasp and staggered away stiffly, heart beating rapidly.

"Katana, stop," Riki called, following her and grabbing her shoulder. "Something's not right with you. What are these Rinji Seibutsu?"

"You don't want to know and I hope to Kami that you never meet one," she said quietly. "I need to be alone. I can't be sure when one may be set after me. You can't be anywhere near me if one comes."

"Katana, you need to tell us what's going on," Neji said firmly, using a tone he used on missions when people where frightened for their lives. Katana seemed to fit the description. "We can get help from the Hokage."

"No, you can't drag anyone else into this. It's bad enough that you two know about it." Katana pulled out of Riki's grasp and broke into a jog. Neji took his turn and easily caught up with her, grabbing both her shoulders and spinning her to face him.

"I want to know what is going on," he snapped, seeing her flinch. "You need to tell me, or I will go to the Hokage myself."

Katana bowed her head and finally relented, knowing she would be powerless to argue with him. "The Rinji Seibutsu are just what their name says. They aren't human, at least not anymore. They're just another experiment devised by my clan. They are humans with a demonic spirit infused with their souls. A certain jutsu allows them to be programmed to do exactly as someone wants, providing they have enough chakra to control the spirit. The Rinji Seibutsu will be powerless to disobey and it will comply with its programmer's wishes, whatever they may be. The spirit gives them inhuman powers, and I don't think even a Kage would be able to subdue one.

"The only way to kill one is to extract the spirit and seal it away. But to do so is nigh impossible, because hardly anyone knows how to exercise a demon in these days, and keeping them sealed away is a formidable task. If I was their target, they would stop at nothing to do whatever they were programmed to do. You can see why I'm so fearful."

Katana dropped her head and began to tremble. Neji just stared at her, finally understanding the gravity of what could happen. Riki looked at each of them in turn, slightly put out that Neji had been able to get her to talk when he couldn't.

"But they didn't want to kill you," Neji said quietly. "Shuhan said that they needed you."

"They only need me to pass on the kekkei genkai. And having the Rinji Seibutsu keeping me alive is what scares me. It would do anything to get to me, even kill those who happen to be near to me, let alone those who try to protect me. I would never cause you any trouble. I would never hurt you."

Neji felt his blood run cold and he abruptly let go of her shoulders, scenes from his dream flashing through his mind. She had said those exact words.

"You need to sleep, Katana," Riki said, taking Neji's place and wrapping his arm around her. "You can properly assess the situation in the morning after you've rested. I'll let you stay at my place; I'll find some way to explain things to my father."

"No, I can't be around you," Katana said firmly, pulling away. "You have to understand. I'm trying to protect you."

"And I'm trying to protect _you_," Riki said, taking hold of Katana's hand. They locked eyes and Neji cleared his throat loudly.

"If Katana thinks she should be alone, then let her be," Neji said firmly, earning him and angry glare from Riki. "I'll walk you home, Katana."

"I'm locked out of the apartment," Katana muttered, suddenly realizing that she could be endangering Anko as well.

"I can fix that," Neji said smoothly and walked to Katana, grabbing her forearm and dragging her away. He bluntly ignored Riki's calls and quickened his pace. Once they had left Riki behind, Neji rapped his arm around Katana's trembling shoulders. "The situation can eventually be handled."

"Eventually? I could be killed, Hyuuga! Or worse, my clan could take me back and make me—!" Katana turned and buried her face into Neji's shoulder, breathing heavily to try to stop the tears. Neji awkwardly stood there, unsure of what to do. "Sorry, Hyuuga. I'm just really freaked out right now. It just makes me furious that my clan thinks that I'm just a tool for them to use. They don't care about what I want. They don't care about what happens to me so long as they get what they want. I just don't want to be used again!"

Neji looked down at her as she lifted her face, eyes glittering with tears that were threatening to roll down her cheeks. But they never fell and she lowered her gaze. Neji began walking again and Katana plodded along beside him, glad to have him support most of her weight. Her clan may not have cared, but she knew one thing for certain. Although he would never proclaim in or let it show, Neji, somewhere deep within his stone cold heart, had a fragment of compassion in him. Katana had a feeling that maybe, just maybe, he was beginning to care for others instead of just his teammates from Team Gai.

* * *

Author Note: I like this chapter ^_^ Ashi=evil for anyone who wants to know. I wanted to further Katana's relationship with Riki and I think it turned out nicely. I fear that Neji was a little OOC, I'm trying my best but as I said before, keeping him in character with an OC is difficult '-.- So, not much else to say, so peace out.

-cagedbird361


	20. Chapter 19: Say Goodnight

Chapter 19: Say Goodnight

"It's not going to work."

Neji glared at Katana, taking his hand away from the lock on the door to Anko's apartment. Katana was leaning against a wall, still shaking weakly, watching him try to open the locked door. "Do you have any suggestions then?" he growled bitterly.

"You were the one who said you could fix it," Katana retorted, her voice not nearly as firm as it could have been.

"Then only other option is to remove the hinges and—"

"No way. You can't make too much noise. The neighbors aren't very friendly and not many of them like Anko's loud late night returns. She had a habit of yelling 'arriving' loud enough for the Raikage to know she's home. Several want her evicted and I don't want to cause her any trouble." Katana stared at the door as if willing it to open, but it remained firmly locked.

"Then I can't help you," Neji muttered in annoyance. He was tired and didn't want to be dealing with Katana at the moment. This is what he got from trying to be nice and people wondered why he wasn't more considerate.

"Then just go," Katana murmured. "It would be better if you weren't here anyways. I don't want anything to happen to you because of me." She bowed her head and looked away, as if waiting for the footsteps that would signify his departure.

But Neji could hear her words ring hollow. He could easily tell that she wanted him to stay, secretly begging him not to leave her alone. In truth, he knew she was scared, and he was interested to know what made a skilled jounin like herself quake in her shoes. She was still wearing Riki's jacket and her limbs were trembling more violently, and when she finally looked at him, her eyes were no longer piercing. They were like those of a wounded animal, doleful and helpless. Her fear was something he had never seen another shinobi exhibit. Except for Hinata.

"Do you want to talk or something?" Neji asked coldly, hoping she would say no and he would be able to leave without guilt.

"More than anything," she said quietly, dropping her gaze to the ground.

_Damn._

"But I don't know what to say. I want to just let everything out, but some things I just can't tell you. At the moment."

Neji rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "Then let's start with the Rinji Seibutsu. Who exactly are they?"

"I told you before. They are people of my clan that have been infused with evil spirits, allowing them to be controlled. They have inhuman strength and will stop at nothing to complete their assigned task, no matter what. They are strongest when the moon is new, and the sun has set. Somehow, the demon is able to focus its power better at night when the moon is in that certain phase."

"And what are the ways to destroy them?"

"Just extracting the demon and sealing it away. Although… There may be another way now that I think about it. The demon feeds off the commander's chakra when it is given a task. If you stopped the chakra flow somehow, the Rinji Seibutsu would be unable to function."

"Now that's something useful," Neji said quietly. "I could do something like that. With my Jyuuken—"

"No, I can't let you risk yourself," Katana said with a firm shake of her head. "Even if you are able to stop the chakra flow, getting close enough to use your Jyuuken would be suicide. You would never make it."

They fell into silence and Neji leaned against the wall as well, the two of them on opposite sides of Anko's door. The Rinji Seibutsu greatly interested Neji. He had never heard of such creatures and questions began to whirl in his head. But he was an honorable Hyuuga and knew Katana's business wasn't his place to meddle. From experience with Tenten, he knew females could get touchy about certain subjects. He suddenly heard a sliding noise and looked over at Katana. She had sunk to the floor and buried her face in her hands, shaking harder.

"Are you okay?"

"Not really," Katana muttered, rubbing her eyes and taking several deep breaths. "I'm just thinking about what my clan would do to me if they caught me." She visibly shuddered. "Heaven is practically waiting for me."

"What would they do?"

"Do I have to spell it out? Think for a moment, Hyuuga. I'm the only female in my generation to have my clan's kekkei genkai. They want it to be passed on and keep the clan going. They would make me—" She choked on her words, burying her face deeper in her hands. Neji didn't say anything. He understood what she meant and if it bothered her to speak of it, he wouldn't force her to talk.

"I see that your future with your clan wasn't the best, but you told me before that you were almost drone-like and would do anything your clan told you to. What made you change your mind? How did you come to you're senses?"

A rueful smirk crossed Katana's face and let out a humorless laugh. "Isn't it obvious?" She looked up, her eyes fighting to hold back tears. "I met Anko. I'm sure even Akatsuki would be unable to retain their criminal instincts if she spent a week with them. She's very influential when she's not wolfing down sticks of dango."

Neji wasn't very familiar with Anko, but from what he had heard, Katana's words were true. She looked down at her hands again and sighed heavily, letting her appendages drop into her lap. The palms still held scars from when the flaming Itonami had burned her hands, but they were hidden with black finger-less gloves that she had started to where. She covered her face with her hands again.

"When did you meet Anko?"

"It was during the first time I took the Chuunin Exams. I was really young and got destroyed inside the Forest of Death. Anko came to the hospital and we talked and became friends. She saw I was having difficulties with my family, and she offered to let me stay over her apartment when my brother broke my arm after a fight we had. She's almost like a sister to me now."

"I see," Neji muttered, looking down the hall. Everything was still and silent, the other inhabitants of the other apartments fast asleep. "Do you feel better now?"

"A little I guess," Katana whispered, rubbing her eyes. She hadn't realized how exhausted she was. She looked at her shaking hands and clasped them together, but it didn't make much difference. "You can go if you want."

Neji was about to turn and leave, but he noticed the expression on her face. It was still fearful and worried, two emotions a shinobi should never display. She was far from fine. "Don't lie. I know something is still troubling you."

"Something is always troubling me," she answered regretfully. "I'm just better at hiding it most of the time. When I'm around you, it's usually one specific thing that bothers me…" She trailed off and stared at the floor, sighing heavily again.

"Are you going to tell me or not?"

"I don't know if I can."

"It's the reason you left on that mission, right? The reason you left the Village. It has something to do with my clan."

Katana tensed and curled her hands into fists, glaring at the floor. "Yes, you're correct," she said coldly. "But I don't think now is the time to discuss the matter."

Neji set his jaw in annoyance. She had been all too open about everything else he had asked, but she clammed up at the one thing that pertained to him. "If it concerns me, I should know."

"I _don't_ think you should know," Katana retorted, shutting her eyes as if trying to block him out. "You wouldn't look at me the same way. You would probably never want to hear my name again."

"You already told me most of what happened," Neji growled, taking a step forward. "You just left out one little detail, and I'm sure that it would clear the situation up. It made you hate me when we first met, so it has to have some significance. Did one of my clan attack you?"

"I guess you could say that," Katana muttered, eyes still closed. "But worse. Much, much worse."

"Would you simply tell me?" Neji snarled, stepping up to her. She looked up with fear-filled eyes, crawling away from him with a hand raised as if to protect herself. He paused as she scrambled away, controlling his rising anger that had stemmed from annoyance. He looked away from her, but she remained rigid and defensive. "Do you need me here anymore?"

She didn't answer and he turned to walk away, but he felt her grab his pant leg. "Hyuuga, I'm sorry. It's just a very difficult thing for me to talk about. I promise you that I will tell you someday. I don't make promises lightly."

He looked down at her, her face still fearful, but it didn't seem as overwhelming as it had been. But it was still there. Neji turned back to her and he slowly sat down on the floor next to her. Katana looked at him and shifted away slightly, but glanced over shyly, still futilely trying to stop her hands from shaking.

"My apologies," Neji said quietly. "I shouldn't force you to talk of your past. I just wanted to know about your experiences with my clan. Maybe the situation could be mended if you just told me."

"I wish it was that simple, Hyuuga," Katana whispered, her exhaustion draining her entire being. She leaned over and rested her head on Neji's shoulder, exhaling weakly.

Neji glanced over at her with a raised eyebrow. He had never let any other female except Tenten get this close to him. It was terribly awkward and he wanted to push her away and leave, but she looked so tired, so scared, and so worried that he decided to deal with it for a moment. He wouldn't stay for her to sleep again, but he realized that he was too late. By the time he determined that he had let her rest on him long enough, she was already deeply asleep. Sighing to himself, Neji let his head rest against the wall with a gentle thud and decided to pass the time by meditating. But he hadn't realized how tired he was until his closed his eyes. Within five minutes, Neji too had fallen asleep.

*******

Anko had had enough. She had gotten back from her mission late and was tired, not bothering to wonder why Katana wasn't in her room. She had gone to her room, which happened to share a wall with that of the outside hall, planning to sleep late into the next day. But, as usual, her plans didn't work out as she hoped.

The voices outside had been a nuisance, but were easily ignored. Until they began to argue. Anko had debated whether or not to go outside and shoo them away, but they seemed to subside and settle their argument. But the gentle thud against her wall was enough to send the special jounin over the edge. She rolled out of bed and grabbed a kunai, stomping towards the door. She threw it open, but saw no one standing in the hallway. They were sitting.

Anko's jaw dropped and her hand flew to her mouth, struggling to stifle the peal of laughter that threatened to burst from her. Neji and Katana were sitting on the floor, Katana's head on his shoulder, and both were fast asleep. She thought she was dreaming for a moment, but not even her dreams would entail something this improbable. She reached down to wake them, but a better idea came to her mind. She scurried back into her apartment and reappeared a moment later.

She gently laid a blanket over the pair, snickering to herself. She knew Katana was a light sleeper, but she didn't stir at all. Neji's eyes flickered and Anko froze, but he didn't wake. Anko stepped back and struggled to suppress her giggles.

_If Tenten finds out, she's going to kill Katana_, Anko thought as she walked back inside. _And Katana is going to kill me… But that's the most hilarious thing I've ever seen. If only I had a camera. That snapshot would go right on the refrigerator door... and come in handy for blackmail._

_*******_

_The sunlight streamed through a window at the end of the hall and the powerful morning rays struck the two shinobi sitting on the floor. Neji's sensitive eyes fluttered open and he winced at the bright light. He blinked several time and scanned the area around him, finally remembering where he was and why. He looked over at his shoulder, Katana still asleep. The sunlight struck her scarred face, but her dark eyes weren't nearly as weak in sunlight as his were._

He was about to shake her awake, but the expression on her face stopped him. The fear and worry that had been plastered on her features the previous night was gone. She looked peaceful and calm, as if everything was okay and she wasn't in danger of getting taken by her clan. In the realm of sleep, her world was unthreatened and she didn't have to be afraid for her life.

Neji looked at her tranquil features and sighed, never realizing how similar to Tenten she was. The scar on Katana's face and her height were the only main differences. He glanced down and noticed the blanket draped over them and his eyes widened. It meant one thing: someone had seen them. The sudden realization that he, the stoic Neji Hyuuga, had been seen sleeping in a hallway with a girl at his shoulder made him want to leave before the occupants of the other apartments woke up. He shook Katana awake and her passive features were shattered as she came back to reality.

"Hyuuga? What—?" Katana began, but then looked around and her cheeks turned a fiery red. She hastily got to her feet and Neji followed her. They locked eyes for a moment, but Neji turned and walked stiffly away. "Thank you." He didn't pause his departure, but she swore she saw him nod. Shaking her head and rubbing her eyes, Katana turned back to Anko's apartment and picked up the blanket. She twisted the knob, and to her surprise, it turned and the door opened.

Katana slunk inside and walked to her room, closing the door and collapsing on the futon. She tried to control the blush on her cheeks, but it was stubborn and she could still feel her head resting on Neji's muscular shoulder. Closing her eyes, Katana tried to drive the thoughts away, but she fell back to sleep before she could control her mind and her thoughts warped into her dreams.

* * *

The floor was painted with a large symbol, the ink a bright scarlet. Candles ringed the symbol, providing the only light in the room. Three people stood around the symbol, dressed entirely in black with a disproportional yin-yang sign embroidered on the back of the shirts. A fourth person lay spread-eagle in the middle of the symbol, motionless with closed eyes, looking like a corpse.

Shuhan Suterusu stood at the head of the symbol, weaving hand seals and muttering an incantation under his breath. Kinkou and Tenma stood facing him, the three making a triangle should they be connected. Tenma's marked face was locked on the fourth unmoving person, brown eyes staring coldly. Kinkou looked over at him and nodded, and they began to simultaneously weave seals, muttering the incantation.

As the seals continued, the candle flames flared and the symbol began to glow. The chakra from the three people began to leech into the ink at their feet, drawn towards the fourth on the ground. A wind began to swirl with their chakra, whipping their hair as their voices grew in volume. The seals became faster and the symbol grew brighter, casting a fiery red light under their faces, ghastly shadows painting their features. A pressure began to build with the chakra collecting, and in one second, the chakra rushed from the symbol and into the motionless figure, turning the ink black. The candles went out, the wind stopped, and darkness ensued.

The only sound in the pitch-blackness was heavy breathing from the three Suterusu Clan members, but it was soon accompanied by another. A gentle scraping rose from the center of the room, the sound of something heavy slowly rising to its feet. The sound was painfully slow, as if the figure was stiff and tired or half asleep. Finally, there was silence again.

"What is your bidding, my masters?" a deep, echoing voice rumbled from the center of the room, the sound reverberating in the bones of the clan members.

They spoke as one. "We order you to capture our kin, Katana Suterusu. She shall not be killed, instead be returned alive and able to function. Do not let anything hinder your mission, whether it be land obstacle or another human. Once she is in your possession, you shall return here immediately."

There was silence for another moment.

"Your orders are understood, masters," the voice replied. The sound of something large dragging its feet split the silence. The heavy shuffling moved towards the door and it opened, light flooding from the outside, briefly revealing an enormous hulking figure in the doorway. The Rinji Seibutsu stepped outside and disappeared, beginning the task it was given beneath the slightest sliver of moon. By the next night, a new moon would hang in the sky.

* * *

Author note: new chapter, yosh! I'm really getting into the fluff even if it's difficult to keep Neji in character ^_^ Now the suspense ensues! I plan to update within the weekend, so you won't have to wait very long. I was reviewing the previous chapters and noticed several gramatical errors. I apologize for this. I revise my own stories so I tend to miss things... and I have dyslexia so I can never remember where things are on a keyboard '-.- Thank you to Shadowblossom15 for giving me ideas and to Lady Phantasmagoric question: yes, you shall find out... eventually!!1! Sorry that I'm so suspenseful XD Anyway, next chapter is going to rock! I'll update ASAP. Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	21. Chapter 20: Waking the Demon

Chapter 20: Waking the Demon

She trees whipped her face and slashed at her skin, threatening to cut her as she ran through the forest. She had been able to request a mission until just this evening and she feared it may have already been too late. It wasn't a difficult mission; it would have no great effect if it wasn't completed, but that wasn't the reason she was running. No distance would ever be safe, no obstacle providing a big enough barrier. Katana was running for her life.

Although her instincts told her to continue running, to flee until she was across the world, her body was close to shutting down and she was forced to stop to catch her breath. Katana landed in a tree and fell against the truck, gasping for air that her lungs weren't able to gulp fast enough. She was shaking and her heart felt as if it was about to burst from her chest. Her pulse throbbed, but she knew her elevated heart rate wasn't just because of her sprinting; it was mostly from fear.

Looking up through leaf canopy, Katana searched desperately for the moon. Maybe she was wrong; maybe she had miscalculated. Maybe she would see a sliver of silver in the sky, the feeble light igniting the slightest flicker of hope in the terrified kunoichi. But it wasn't the case. The black orb hung in the sky, providing no light for the nocturnal world. It was a new moon and Katana was as good as dead.

Heart fluttering like an agitated bird locked in a cage, Katana forced herself to continue her flight deeper into the forest. She leaped off of the tree branch and moved as fast as her exhausted limbs could carry her, driven by instinct and fear. Paranoia kept her on high alert, making every small animal a potential threat, every snap of a twig from the wind being turned into an approaching predator, and every suspicious shadow transformed into the monster that was out for her blood.

She was so distracted by the scenery that she didn't notice the other chakra flare until it was practically upon her. Finally identifying the flare, Katana could do nothing as something crashed into her, sending her spiraling through the trees to the ground. Emitting chakra at the last moment, she was able to break her fall and quickly rolled to a crouch, drawing a sword and getting ready for anything. Her attacker hit the ground in front of her and she jumped onto its chest, pressing her blade to its throat. It sputtered weakly and it was only then that she saw a flash of green from its eyes.

"Riki?"

"Ouch, why didn't you move? This would have been a much easier landing if I hadn't run into you."

Katana slowly pulled her shaking hand away from Riki's neck, removing her sword. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you in the Village? Why did you jump out at me?"

"I was on a mission and sensed your chakra. I was suspicious of the speed you were moving at and my team let me go. I wanted to make sure everything was okay. After what White-Eyes said the other night, I've been worried about you."

"Nothing is okay, Riki," Katana snapped, looked around wildly. "You have to get out of here. Now. Go back to the Village and stay there."

"What wrong? What's going on?"

"There's a new moon and I think my clan has sent one of _them_ after me. One of the Rinji Seibutsu."

"You know this?"

"I haven't seen it yet, but I just have a feeling. A bad feeling. I just _know_ that one has been set after me. You have to leave before it gets to me. If you intervene or get in the way, you'll be killed without a second thought. Please, get out of here."

"I would, but there's a problem."

"Don't be a wise ass. What could possibly be the problem of running like hell?"

"You're sitting on me."

Katana's cheeks acquired a gentle red dusting and she removed herself from Riki's chest, pretending to ignore the smug smirk on his face. It looked as it he wanted her to stay where she was. "There, now go."

"I can't do that," Riki said firmly. "I can't leave you here alone. I won't let that thing attack you and take you away. I remember when you were a part of you clan, and I never want to see you affected by their ways again."

"What do you know about my clan? You don't know the half of it. If you value your life, you'll run. I still need to get farther away from here. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Nor do I want to see you hurt, Katana," Riki said quietly, resting his hands on her shoulders. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared into his deep green eyes. "I couldn't live with myself if I knew I could stay and protect you and I didn't. I have been meaning to tell you something for a while, and I think now is the time to do it."

"I think now is the time for you to run like your ass is on fire," Katana snapped, pushing his hands from her shoulders. "I can't stay here." She turned to continue running, but felt Riki catch her hand in his own, pulled her back towards him.

"Let me help you," he said, wrapping his arms around her, keeping her close to him. Katana struggled to push away, but was too captivated by the fact that Riki was hugging her to fight back at her full potential. "I don't want your clan to get a hold of you again. I really care for you, Katana. I realized my mistakes long ago, and I think that, from the first time I met you, I love you."

Katana froze. He had said it. The three words that were lethal to a shinobi. Nothing, no weapon, no jutsu, no poison, was more deadly than what he had just said. Katana came to her senses and roughly pulled away, breathing hard. Riki's face was entirely serious, and he still held her hand.

"I don't understand," she whispered.

"You don't have to," Riki said just as quietly, stroking her hand with his thumb. "I want to protect you."

"You can't! Just get out of here! If you mean what you say, then respect my wishes and run!" This clearly caught Riki off guard and he bit his lip. Katana glared at him harshly, tugging her hand from his grasp. "Do this for me."

Riki opened his mouth to speak, but a resounding crash came from somewhere nearby in the trees. Katana looked over and saw a hulking figure lumbering toward them and her mouth went dry. She took several involuntary steps backward, and Riki looked at her in confusion.

"Run," Katana whispered as the figure drew closer. "Run. RUN!" She turned and bolted into the forest, Riki at her heels. The fear returned and she knew that she was feeling the same way as a rabbit being chased by a wolf. She could hear branches snapping behind her as the Rinji Seibutsu bound through the trees after her, the branches unable to support its weight. She jinked and dove to the left, Riki struggling to catch her. Katana could hardly see anything and it was simple luck that kept her from colliding with a tree. She could hear Riki falling behind and the Rinji Seibutsu catching up, and she was distracted at just the wrong moment. Risking a glance behind her, Katana's foot connected with a stray twig and she slipped.

A cry left her lips as she fell, barely catching herself on a random branch below, her chakra-saturated hands just gaining purchase. Riki followed her and she slid to the ground, looked up as the Rinji Seibutsu slowed in the trees above. Riki stood in front of her, drawing his axe and holding it ready.

"No, Riki, get out of here," Katana said between gasps for breath. "You can't stay and fight. It will kill you."

"I won't run like a frightened animal. I will protect you." He jumped into the trees before she could respond. Katana watched as he scaled the tree, reaching the Rinji Seibutsu far to soon. His axe swung and the creature easily evaded with a simple side step. Riki didn't pause and used the momentum to continue his combination. But he couldn't land a hit.

The Rinji Seibutsu watched the axe with vacant, staring eyes, moving just enough to avoid the attacks. It ducked and stepped away as if Riki's attacks were the equivalent to those of an inexperienced genin. One blow, however, sunk into the creature's arm, blood spilling from the laceration. Riki attempted to free his axe, but the weapon was stiffly wedged into the other's flesh. The Rinji Seibutsu just stared at the wound without any expression on its blank face. It then looked at Riki and a chill ran up his spine.

"Obstacle," it rumbled, making Riki release his axe and step back. Faster than Katana could see, the creature grabbed Riki by the throat, lifting him into the air. Riki scrabbled at its massive hand, but it wouldn't let go. Slowly cutting off Riki's air supply, the Rinji Seibutsu lifted its other hand and laid it against Riki's chest, the skin beginning to swirl with a dark energy.

"NO!" Katana cried, recognizing the attack about to be performed. She had seen it used on one other person, and the result was worse than death. She reached for a kunai and the Rinji Seibutsu looked down at her.

"Target," it rumbled, but turned back to Riki. "Eliminate obstacle." Katana threw her projectiles, but it was too late. The creature's hand pulsed the dark energy and Riki's face contorted into a silent scream, the energy attacking his body. The kunai hit the creature and the attack stopped, Riki falling from its grasp. Katana wove a pattern of seals and leaped into the air as Riki fell, initiating the jutsu as she made contact with him in the air.

Her teleportation jutsu brought them farther into the forest and they rolled across the ground, Riki's limp body finally destroying their momentum. Katana sat up and looked at him, his vacant eyes staring blankly up at the sky. There was a mark on his shirt where the creature's hand had been, the energy seeming to still linger. He looked dead.

"Riki?" Katana whispered, but he didn't react in the slightest to her voice. She lowered her head and pressed her ear to his chest, hearing the faintest heartbeat. She pressed her fingers to his pulse to make sure she wasn't imagining the noise. He was alive, but only by a thread. Weaving seals frantically, Katana brought her hands down onto his chest over the mark on his shirt, her medical chakra flaring in the night.

He didn't stir as he was healed, and Katana wondered if she was actually reaching the true damage. The dark energy had entered his chakra system and clogged the channels, also altering his chakra to a darker nature. If she didn't heal him properly and he survived, Riki would never be a proper shinobi again. His chakra would be demonic and using too much would kill him. The dark energy was the only thing keeping the rest of his body functioning. Gritting her teeth, Katana pulled her hands away, biting her thumb and weaving another set of seals.

Slamming her hand into the ground, an enormous dragon stepped from the cloud of smoke. "What can I do for you, Katana-sama?"

"I need your chakra," she said curtly, resuming the medical ninjutsu. The dragon rested the end of its broad snout against her back, her eyes instantly flaring red. Her hands grew brighter and Riki's eyelids fluttered as he blinked jerkily. A trickle of blood ran out of the corner of his mouth and he took a raspy gulp of breath.

"Ka-t-ta-n-n-na," he stammered weakly. "I-I'm s-s-s-sor-ry. I c-c-could-dn't prot-t-tect you." He closed his eyes and his head lolled to one side, exhaling weakly.

The chakra died on Katana's hands and she stared in horror. "Riki?"

No answer.

"Riki, answer me."

He didn't stir.

"YOU CAN'T DIE! RIKI! WAKE UP!" Katana beat her fist against his chest, but unlike with Neji, he didn't spring back to life. He was motionless and still, face peaceful in sleep.

A resounding thud met Katana's ears and she looked behind her. The Rinji Seibutsu had caught up, its vacant eyes locked on her. Katana's expression turned cold and she let out a growl, glaring as her red eyes burned brighter.

"You did this," she hissed. The creature didn't seem to hear her. "You killed him."

"Target," the creature rumbled, taking a step forward.

"NO!" Katana snarled, rising to her feet and looking back at the dragon. "I need your chakra again."

"How much?"

"All of it," Katana said firmly as the creature continued to approach.

"Katana! You know what that will do to you! I won't—!"

"You will, Dragon. Give me your chakra and be gone." The dragon bowed its head regretfully to Katana and pressed its snout to the back of Katana's neck, pouring its chakra into her body in one burst. It disappeared and Katana cried out in pain.

Her legs buckled and she fell to her knees, clutching her stomach as the alien chakra focused at her center. She began to tremble and the chakra flowed through her system, burning her insides like fiery oil. It leeched out of her, enveloping her in a dragon-shaped cloak and conforming to her features. Katana lifted her head, her eyes burning scarlet and blood running from her mouth as her teeth grew. Her back-plate apparatus slipped from her body and her hair fell from its bun. A snarl ripped from her throat and she threw herself at the creature, tearing its chest open with a clawed hand. Sliding to a stop several feet away, she watched as the creature stumbled back, blood pouring from its wounds.

"You took what was mine, and now your demise is sealed!" Katana snarled in a growling voice. The creature looked blankly down at its chest and the four lacerations healed easily. It returned its gaze to Katana and she roared in anger. "I will avenge him!"

She ran at the creature, her speed greatly increased, and collided with its hulking form. She raked her claws across its body, the chakra around her burning it where they touched. Katana leaped away from it, standing ready but feeling light headed. She shook herself, watching the wounds she had inflicted on the Rinji Seibutsu heal as if nothing was done. Katana moved to run forward again, but stumbled and fell, her head feeling heavy. She went in and out of consciousness, realizing the effect the dragon's chakra was having on her. She was losing herself, the alien chakra slowly taking her over.

Fighting off the urge to give in, Katana wove several hand seals. "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu! Fireball Technique!" The flame that burst from her mouth was much larger than she could normally produce and entirely engulfed the Rinji Seibutsu within a flaming globe. Katana stood ready as the flame died down, but the creature still stood. Its body was charred and blackened, but the wounds melted away and it stood unscathed. As long as the evil spirit remained sealed within it, the creature would never sustain any damage.

Katana moved to charge again, but something within her cracked and she fell to the ground, crying out. The chakra was changing her physical appearance and body structure, the crack the result of her bones trying to gain the ability to walk on four legs. The pain shattered her thoughts and she felt herself slipping. Pulling back, the pain grew stronger, breaking her focus. The ground spiraling in front of her eyes, a bright light flashed before her. She drifted to the light and the dragon's chakra consumed her mind.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:

The Rinji Seibutsu stepped up to its target as it slumped to the ground. It reached a hand out for the back of Katana's neck, unaware of the chakra burning its palm. Lifting her off the ground, it looked into her dull brown eyes, noticing the chakra begin to fade. But just as it was about to turn and begin its return to the Suterusu Clan, Katana's eyes burst with red light and she came to life.

Roaring in an animalistic way, she swiped her clawed hand over the Rinji Seibutsu's face, tearing away chunks of flesh. It released her and she dropped to the ground, landing on all fours. Her spine had changed and she sprang around on her hands and feet as easily as if she had been born as a quadruped. She ran back towards the creature, jaws open and her own blood running down her teeth and chin. She leaped and her large, sharp teeth clamped onto the Rinji Seibutsu's throat, her momentum bringing them to the ground.

Blood gushed from it jugular and Katana bit deeper, snarling and thrashing her head. In a swift movement, she had cracked the creature's neck and it fell limp against the ground. Katana backed away, growling and licking her teeth, tasting blood from both herself and the creature. But the broken neck didn't hamper the creature for long.

Katana's red eyes flashed as the Rinji Seibutsu sat up, its head lolling to one side grotesquely. With a snap, its skull jerked into the correct position as if it had never been harmed. Katana, still possessed by the dragon's chakra, let anger fuel her attacks, the chakra cloak surrounding her flaring brilliantly. Letting out a fearsome bellow, she charged forward with claws outstretched and jaws open. But the Rinji Seibutsu decided to take its turn on offense.

Just before she was at its throat again, the creature thrust its fist forward and made contact with Katana's chest. She gave a growling cry and fell to the ground, only to be roughly hauled to her feet by her hair. Taking her arm and ignoring the burning chakra, the creature threw her into a nearby tree, her head smashing into the bark. Sinking to the ground, Katana whined and curled into a ball. But her wounds were healed by the chakra and she rose again, ready to fight. But the creature moved toward her with inhuman speed and caught her by the throat, pinning her against the tree.

Feet dangling in the air, Katana scrabbled at the hand clasped around her throat, raking her claws over and down the creature's hand and wrist. It didn't release her, only squeezing tighter. Katana's eyes widened and she couldn't draw breath, her fighting growing weaker. But the Rinji Seibutsu paused and it seemed to have realization in its vacant eyes.

"Don't kill. Keep alive," it rumbled and its grip on Katana's throat slackened. She inhaled greatly, but still couldn't get a sufficient amount of oxygen. "Still functioning," the creature rumbled as if thoughtful, then looked to the ground where Katana's back-plate apparatus had fallen when she transformed. It bent and picked up one of the swords, holding it to Katana's stomach. "Alive." The wound wouldn't kill her, but would still leave her injured. She could feel herself growing weaker and weaker, her fighting proving futile. She would be taken back to her clan and never returned if she failed, but the possession could only take her over to a certain point. "Still functioning." The blade was pressing against her stomach when three figures burst from the trees. One rushed up to the Rinji Seibutsu, hand reared back. The creature turned around and looked around absently with its vacant eyes, keeping hold of Katana's throat.

"Jyuuken!" the one cried, thrusting his palm into the Rinji Seibutsu's stomach. It stood rigid for a moment, then let out a shrieking howl. Another figure leaped forward and landed a solid kick to the creature's head, making it stumble to the ground. The third opened a scroll and began weaving hand seals. It stood over the creature and slammed its palm into its chest. The howling stopped and the figure lifted its hand away, a dark mass hovering just below its palm. Slamming its palm into the scroll, the evil spirit was sealed away and the Rinji Seibutsu was destroyed.

"It's done," Tenten said, rolling up the scroll, preparing to dispose of it later.

"What an interesting creature," Lee commented. "I have never seen its like before." Just as he spoke, the empty body shriveled up and disintegrated. "Wha—?"

"It's from the Suterusu Clan, Lee," Neji said coldly. "It happens to them when they die. Remember Katana's sister?" Neji didn't wait for a response. He walked over to Katana's limp form, lying against the tree. The chakra still surrounded her, but it seemed dimmer than it had been. "Are you alright?"

She stared up at him blankly, her red eyes flickering. But in a split second, her face contorted into a snarl and she swiped a clawed hand at his face. Neji stepped back to avoid her swings, taken off guard. Katana snarled and leaped at him, the dragon's chakra not giving her control of her actions. She attacked him blindly, unable to register whom he was. Neji sprang backwards and Katana ran at him, jaws open and bleeding. Reacting with reflex, Neji ran forward to meet her, palm glowing. They collided, Neji's Jyuuken strike hitting Katana in the direct center of her chakra network.

She froze, eyes wide and shimmering. A gentle exhale passed her lips and her violent expression melted, the chakra cloak dissipated and her features returned to normal. Her spine cracked as she became bipedal again a quiet groan slipped from her mouth. She slid into Neji and he caught her, lifting her limp body into his arms. Her eyes stared blankly out into the night with the expression of a corpse.

"Neji, Riki's over here," Tenten said as she knelt next to the fallen shinobi. She pressed her fingers to his neck. "He's still alive."

"We have to get them back to the Village," Neji said firmly, looking down at Katana's flaccid features. She was dead weight in his arms and he shifted her so her head was resting against his chest. "Lee, get the other." He waited until Lee had Riki on his back. "Let's go." Team Gai shot off into the night towards the Village, attempting to save Katana and Riki from their half-dead slumber.

* * *

Author Note: chapter 20!!!!(or twenty one counting the prologue). I can't believe the story has come so far and I still have so much I want to write. If you like this story, thank you, and you won't have to worry about it ending soon XD I'm far from running out of ideas. For a visual of Katana with the dragon chakra, think of Naruto in one-tail form. Katana and Riki are not dead...yet. And the big reveal about Riki. It may not make sense, but isn't it said that if people act mean to you, it means they like you? I have evidence that proves that wrong, but it kinda works for the story. Anyway, Neji is holding her bridal style at the end and Lee is giving Riki a piggyback XD Sooo, I hope to update soon because spring break is soon! But softball is practically my life and I have a game or practice every day '-.- Thank you to my reviewers and readers (i'm eternally grateful ^_^). I don't own Naruto, just the Suterusu Clan 'n' such. Until next time, peace out.

-cagedbird361


	22. Chapter 21: Time of Dying

Chapter 21: Time of Dying

The darkness was suffocating. It wrapped cold, stifling hands over her mouth and nose, denying her the breath she needed to survive. Voices and sounds echoed indistinctly in her ears, making no sense, but still promised that she was still alive. If only just. There was nothing but pain on the side with the voices, and she was more than tempted to turn away and walk into the darkness and be freed from life on earth. The darkness didn't seem as frightening as it had once before; it gave refuge to the injured and solace to the broken. She didn't want to endure that pain again, the pain of being at another's mercy and needing someone to depend on. The darkness would be her sanctuary.

But the closest voice was too familiar to ignore. It rung in her ears and was the only thing that kept her from drifting away into the comfort of the ebony void. But the more she returned, the more the pain saturated her limbs. Everything throbbed and she wanted to turn away and hide her shame. She would never be able to face anyone if she couldn't withstand something so familiar to a shinobi as discomfort, but she had never felt this way before. A laceration or a burn could be dealt with, but the constant ache was worse than any other injury.

It didn't get any stronger, but it didn't get any weaker. It felt as if her insides had been torn to shreds while her body remained unscathed. A fire burned within every vein beneath her skin, scalding the already destroyed lines of her circulatory system. Making up her mind, she chose to give in to the pain and be claimed by the darkness. But she was halted as the voice met her ears again, and she knew she couldn't leave. She couldn't leave him without saying goodbye; not even the pain could keep her from that. Following his voice as a beacon back to life, Katana forced herself into consciousness.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Neji ran back to the Village as fast as he could, even Lee struggling to keep up. Katana was heavy in his arms; her body was still like a lead weight in his grasp. Her head rested against his chest, her face as dead as the rest of her being. The only thing that made Neji continue his pace was the slightest rise and fall of her chest as she breathed like a someone deep in comatose. He didn't sense the signature chakra flare that a usual shinobi emitted while they were alive, and he knew that she had one foot on death's doorstep. What had befallen her, he couldn't say, but he knew it had something to do with the dragon-like chakra aura that she had been encased in. It had had no beneficial effect on her.

"Just hold on, Katana," he murmured into the night, although he doubted she could hear him. He moved the arm supporting her shoulders so his hand could grasp at the choker around her neck. He unhooked the clasp and tucked the necklace into his hand, hoping that it may reduce the restriction in her airways. "We're almost to the Village. If you're not gone by then, you can possibly be saved."

A quiet groan came from the motionless figure in his arms and Neji paused on the tree branch that he had landed on. He looked down at Katana's chalk white face and saw her eyelids flutter with difficulty. She grimaced weakly and her head shifted slightly, a pained breath rattling from her throat.

"Hyuuga," she rasped in a dry voice.

"Tenten, Lee, go to the ground," Neji ordered to the two behind him and leaped to the forest floor from the tree branch. He landed softly and knelt on the earthy soil woven with tree roots, setting Katana down in front of him. "Katana, can you hear me?"

"Hyuuga," she repeated quietly, trying to shift her limbs but stopped with a wince of pain.

"Don't try to move. You're in critical condition and straining yourself won't help matters."

"You don't need to tell me that," Katana whispered, opening her eyes slightly and shifting them to look at him. "I don't think I'm going to last much longer either way." Tenten and Lee landed next to Neji before he could respond to her words. She looked at them weakly, her entire body throbbing with a burning ache. She remained motionless, every movement costing her precious energy that she needed to remain alive. She saw Lee lay Riki's body down next to her and her eyes widened slightly and she whispered his name.

"He's still alive, but he's really hurt too," Tenten said quietly, looking sympathetically at the two near-death shinobi.

"He's alive?" Katana whispered in disbelief, turning her head to look into his blank face. Riki's eyes were closed and his mouth was open at one corner, making him look as if he had simply fallen asleep. A tear slid from the corner of Katana's eye as she looked at him, the salty water droplet falling to the grass her head was resting against. "I'm sorry, Riki. I should have protected you. I should have made you turn away. I should never have let you put yourself at risk. I should have…"

"Don't speak, Katana," Neji said coldly. "Talking won't do anything for you or him."

Katana turned her head back to lock Neji with her feeble gaze, the gaze of the dying. She stared into his white eyes and another tear rolled down her cheek. She closed her eyes and remembered the first time she had met him in the training field, the first time they fought, the first mission she had been on with him, the disputes and the moments of possible friendship they had shared, the wounds they had given each other, the wounds they had healed… Katana couldn't stop the tears but didn't care that he saw her crying. She glanced over at Riki and remembered similar experiences between them, only Riki had loved her the whole time.

"I'm not going to last much longer, Hyuuga," Katana said softly, looking at him again. "I'm sorry for what I've done and I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise; I don't think I have enough energy to tell you what happened between me and your clan."

"Don't be so hasty," Neji murmured, clenching his hand into a fist. "You're not gone yet."

"It doesn't matter," Katana said closing her eyes, tears leaking from beneath her eyelids. She could feel Team Gai's presence over her, just standing as her life ebbed away. But they couldn't have done anything even if they had wanted to. "At least my clan won't get what they want. At least I won't be used. But before I go, I have one more thing to tell you, Hyuuga." Neji leaned forward slightly and listened to the shallow breath rattling from between Katana's pale lips. "I just wanted you to know that I—" Katana's words were cut off as she felt blood rise from her throat and she began to cough. Neji looked at her in alarm, but the racking coughs didn't subside.

"Katana? Calm down and try to control it," Neji said and looked up at Tenten and Lee. They stood back farther, Tenten's eyes wide with horror and Lee's eyes just wide to begin with. Katana stopped coughing but was left to gasp for breath, her lungs not seeming to work properly. Blood ran from the corners of her mouth and she fell still, eyes staring up into the trees. She exhaled a rattling breath and closed her eyes, feeling the darkness begin to wrap around her again. She heard her name being called, but the darkness was too tempting to resist this time. Not even Neji's voice could call her back and she slipped further and further away.

_Have I fallen asleep?_ She wondered as she sunk into oblivion. _Is this a dream? Nothing hurts anymore, but I didn't get to tell him what I wanted. No, this is a nightmare. A nightmare… I wouldn't feel like this if it were a dream. I wish someone would wake me up… Or at least make this other pain go away… The pain of not saying something sooner… I'm sorry, Hyuuga. It looks like I'll never be able to keep my promise, or tell you how I feel… I guess I'll be living a nightmare for the rest of eternity…_

But she felt two strong arms lift her off the ground and her head rested against something warm and firm. She heard a steady beat in her ear: the sound of a heartbeat and the darkness didn't seem as powerful. No, she couldn't die. Not yet. She listened to Neji's heartbeat and made it her own, willing her own heart to beat just a steadily. She had to survive; she had to wait for him. It may have been her time to die, but she would _make _the clock stop ticking towards her death. She almost felt energy and life seeping into her from him as he ran with her in his arms. With him beside her, she would not, could not, die. He gave her a reason to live.

* * *

"ARRIVING! Where is she?" Anko bellowed, bursting through the doors to the intensive care ward, scaring several doctors and nurses enough to drop their clipboards. Anko scanned the group of medics, waiting for the bravest to dare approach her to answer her question. She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot against the white tile floors, waiting for an answer.

"Who is 'she'?" one of the medics questioned nervously, fearful of how Anko would react.

"Katana Suterusu, Doc," Anko replied in annoyance. "I thought you guys went to school for, like, twelve years. Don't you have to remember the name of every muscle in the body? Can't you remember the names of your patients? Or are your skulls too full to accept any more data? Will you explode or something?"

She was met with confused glances and a few doctors adjusted their glasses or cleared their throats, not able to meet Anko's gaze. The doctor who had spoken picked his clipboard up from where he had dropped it and scanned the list of names, flipping several papers before he found the name he sought.

"Katana Suterusu isn't allowed visitors at the moment. She got out of surgery about fifteen minutes ago and is still under observation. You'll have to wait until she's stable."

"Surgery? Observation? _Stable_? What the hell happened to her? All I heard was that she was in the intensive care ward at the hospital. I didn't hear that she was about to kick the bucket." Anko stared at the ground and shook her head. _What could she have done this time?_

"I haven't received the report from the surgeon yet, and I don't exactly know what was wrong with her," the doctor said calmly. "She looked fine, but she defiantly suffered some internal damage. She's been in surgery for a while, so I hope that they have found the cause."

"How long has she been in surgery? And what was wrong with her?"

"May I ask what your relation to her is? I believe I have disclosed too much information already."

"I'm a good friend of Katana's; a very good friend. I let her stay at my apartment, so I probably know more about her than her own parents. She's practically a sister to me."

"I'm afraid that 'practically' isn't going to suffice," the doctor said, tucking his clipboard under his arm. "You need to be a blood relative or—"

Anko strode up to the doctor and grabbed his high collar, pushing him against a wall. "You're going to tell me what's wrong with her or you're head is going right through these tiles. Got that?" The doctor paled and his lips moved, but he couldn't find the words to speak fast enough. Anko was about to send him into the absurdly white walls when the only voice that could be louder than hers stopped her.

"ANKO MITARASHI!" Lady Tsunade bellowed as she stormed down the hall. "GET HIM OFF THE WALL!" Anko stared at the Hokage and reluctantly released the doctor. He scurried away down the hall and disappeared into one of the rooms. "What trouble are you getting into this time?"

"I came here to see how Katana was doing because I was just informed she was here, and he wouldn't tell me. He said our relationship wasn't 'sufficient' enough. I'm closer to her than her own family. I've seen and heard her say and do things no one else has. I think I'm sufficient enough."

"Well you didn't have to threaten to put a medic's head through a wall," Tsunade grumbled. "You should have just come to me. I've been in and out of her surgery for the past six hours and I know more than anyone about her current state."

"Six hours? _Six_ hours? What the hell is wrong with her?"

Tsunade opened her mouth to speak when the door to the intensive care ward opened and Team Gai, without their sensei, entered. Neji was the only one who looked calm and composed out of the three of them. Tenten and Lee looked flustered and frantic, their faces flushed and their clothes rumpled, although Lee's spandex was more wrinkle-resistant than Tenten's attire.

"How are they?" Tenten asked, looking nervously at the Hokage. It was then that Anko noticed that there was a small bloodstain on Neji's white shirt.

"Riki's condition is much better and he should make a full recovery quiet soon," Tsunade said evenly, experienced with giving out the status of her patients to their jitter family and friends. "But Katana's status is another story."

"What has befallen her?" Lee asked, his circular eyes even wider than normal.

"That's the problem. I'm not exactly sure what's wrong with her."

"You're not sure?" Neji questioned, his fine eyebrows moving slightly closer together.

"Her condition is very strange and I'm glad that you three are here," Tsunade continued and waved one of her hands. "Come with me." The group followed the Hokage down the hall into one of the rooms. Katana was motionless in the bed, a breathing mask covering her mouth and nose and a blindfold over her eyes. Her skin was deathly pale and the monitors around her didn't seem to be giving favorable results.

"Damn, she looks awful," Anko muttered out loud, but the others didn't respond if they heard her.

"She has no external damage that can be detected, but the internal damage is severe," Tsunade continued, picking up a chart from the bedside table. "The damage is all in her keirakukei and bone structure, but what could cause such problems is beyond me. She had several major fractures in her spine and pelvis, and her chakra network seems to be burned and torn apart. Do any of you know what could have caused such damage?"

"I think we can help," Tenten said quietly, exchanging a glance with her teammates. "When we found her, she had a chakra cloak enveloping her body and she seemed to be controlled by it."

"She attacked me and I was forced to subdue her with Jyuuken," Neji continued. "Once the chakra could no longer flow, the cloak dissipated and she returned to normal."

"What do you mean 'returned to normal'?" Tsunade asked, furrowing her brow.

"Katana is the last shinobi to be able to summon dragons," Anko said, her usually exuberant voice reduced to a murmur. "They grant her abilities most summoners never receive, and one of those abilities is to utilize their chakra. However, the dragon's chakra is different than hers and it reacts a certain way with her cells. She gets draconic features such as sharp teeth, claws, and her eyes turn red. But if she receives enough chakra, the transformation will continue."

"When she reverted, there was a crack that sounded as if it came from her back," Neji murmured. "She had been able to move fluidly on all four limbs, and she returned to being bipedal after the crack. Her spine must have snapped when the chakra cloak disappeared." He looked over and noticed that each of her fingertips was bandaged from where her nails had grown and split the skin.

"That chakra is very dangerous," Anko said, casting her eyes down. "It's made of a different sequence of energy than ours, and Katana's chakra is different to begin with."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You know Katana's kekkei genkai, right? Well, you may not think that it can be classified at as a bloodlimit because it's practically a Transparency Jutsu. But you can still be detected by people who can sense chakra, but Katana is completely undetectable. Just ask Neji, right?" The Hyuuga nodded. "The chakra of those in the Suterusu Clan is thicker than the chakra of most shinobi. The dragon's chakra did double damage to her system."

"That's not good," Tsunade muttered, looking at the chart. "I was hoping that I would be able to give her some chakra to stimulate the repair of her keirakukei, but it won't work, will it."

"Not if you want her to lose the ability to use her kekkei genkai."

"Then I need time to think about an alternate solution," Tsunade said and set the chart down. "She needs to rest and I need to make sure she will be able to survive until we find a solution. At the moment, her recovery is in the hands of someone of a higher authority. All we can do is how to find a cure."

* * *

"I know it was foolish."

"Damn right it was, dumbass!" Anko chided Katana for the billionth time since she had returned to consciousness. She had been comatose for ten days and had only been able to communicate for two of the five days that she had been awake. "Is he honestly that important to give your life for?"

"When someone tells you that they love you, your actions tend to be reckless," Katana growled and began to cough. Anko waited until she had subsided and Katana rubbed the area between her clavicles. "I've learned my lesson the hard way, it seems."

"Yeah, and you're super lucky that you're alive," Anko grumbled. "You what to know what I think? I think that Neji saved you."

Katana choked on the breath she was inhaling. "_What_?"

"Every time Team Gai came here and he sat next to you, you got a whole lot better. It was really strange, you know? It was almost as if he was the reason you wouldn't die. Everyone had bets that you were a goner."

"That's reassuring," Katana muttered and stared at the small bandages on her fingertips. Her entire body still ached with the dull burn that seemed to flow through her veins, the little chakra her body had produced hurt her still-damaged keirakukei. "I'm just glad that I'm still alive." _I can't believe that I actually almost succumbed to the darkness._

"Yeah, I am too," Anko said, ruffling Katana's hair. "Well, I've got to bounce, so I'll see you soon." The older kunoichi left and Katana was alone again. She stared out the window at the gloomy day, the clouds hanging heavy in the sky and the wind blowing forcefully. She closed her eyes and dozed lightly, trying to ignore the pain in her keirakukei. Because it threaded her whole body so intricately, every nerve seemed to twinge. She heard a gentle knock on the door and opened on her eyes, believing it was another nurse that had come to check her again. But it wasn't the case.

"Hello, Katana."

"Hyuuga?" Katana said quietly in disbelief. He closed the door and stepped into the room. "Uh, hello. Are you alone?"

"Yes, actually," he said with a nod, taking the seat that Anko had previously occupied. "Lee and Tenten had an assignment to complete with Gai. I just thought I would see how you were. You're lucky to be alive."

"Yeah," Katana murmured, looking down at her hands. "I'm honored that you would skip training to visit me. I guess you do have a heart." Katana gave him a sarcastic smirk and he rolled his eyes.

"You were about to die several days ago, and I was the one who brought you back here. It is incredible that you're able to communicate coherently after what you just endured. I wanted to make sure that you weren't getting any worse."

"I appreciate your concern," Katana said with a gentle smile. She scraped her hair behind her ears and noticed that he was watching her. "Is there something you want to say?"

"I did want to ask you something," he said quietly, his tone serious. "Before in the forest, you had wanted to tell me something before you fell unconscious. Do you still want to tell me? It seemed quite important."

Katana thought back to the foggy parts of the past few days, back to when the darkness was at its thickest, and remembered what she had wanted to say. She could feel a blush creep up her cheeks and she let her hair fall forward, blocking her face. "It isn't important anymore, and this isn't the best time to discuss it."

"Suit yourself," Neji said and reached into his weapon pouch. "I took this off of your neck while I was carrying you back. I think you'll want it back." He held up Katana's choker and she took it carefully from his grasp. The gentle smile flickered across her face again. She looked up at him again, an expression of gratitude on her face when the door burst open.

"Katana, I must speak with you," Tsunade said loudly and out of breath. She looked as if she had run there from her office. "I just discovered something while I was looking over your charts. Are you still experiencing pain?" Katana nodded and Tsunade continued immediately, ignoring the fact that Neji was in the room. "I fear that the damage to your keirakukei was more severe than we originally thought. I'm sorry to say, but I don't think you'll ever be able to use chakra properly again."

Katana looked at her blankly. "What do you mean?"

"Because your chakra was different, I don't know exactly how to properly heal you. Your network won't be able to handle the amount of chakra you use to utilize your jutsu. It may break entirely if you try and that will cause your certain death. Katana, I'm sorry, but you can no longer be a shinobi."

Katana stared at her and she felt numb. And she wished that she were dead. She may have survived, but the strongest part of her had been taken away. She was dead inside, her existence reduced to nothing more than someone…_normal_. The dragon's chakra had been too much for her keirakukei to handle, but not enough to kill her. This was her nightmare, and she would be living it until the day she truly did die. She hung her head and stared at her hands and bandaged fingertips, the situation slowly sinking deeper and deeper. She didn't even notice Tsunade leave the room. She only came back to reality when Neji rested his hand on her shoulder.

"Katana, are you okay?"

She looked at him blankly. "No. I don't think I ever will be."

"Listen to me for a moment. Lee was once told the same thing, but look at him now. He is in perfect condition."

"But I'm not like Lee. I'm not some youth-crazed-spandex-wearing overachiever. I can't do what he does. I would be better off dead."

"Don't say things like that," Neji said coldly. "I have a feeling that you can get through this. Little by little, if you keep practicing, your keirakukei will grow stronger."

"But—"

"I'll help you if you want. I'll train with you to strengthen your ability you withstand the effects of your chakra. Things may not be as bad as they seem. Fate isn't always decided by the words of another. You can make slight alterations if you work hard enough."

Katana looked into Neji's eyes and she almost believed him. With him, she wouldn't die. She would get her life back because of him. He was the one she would wait for, no matter how long it took. He would bring her back to life, help her get back what she had lost. Neji was the reason that Katana denied her time of dying.

* * *

Author Note: Well, I have some interesting news. I've been thrown to the wolves. I've been practicing with the varsity softball team and things are... confusing and difficult. I'm the total underdog and have the least experienced, and I have no idea why they want me, but so many of the varsity players are injured that their taking people from the freshmen team. I'm not getting much playing time, but I really shouldn't be complaining; the coach wants me on varsity, so I'll be on varsity. Although I do feel like a traitor to my original team...DX Anyway, my schedule is extra busy now and my spring break consists of games and practices... blarg. I'm going to update as much as I can, but I also have and essay and project to do for school '-_- I'm going to try, but I also need to brainstorm, so I hope to update soon. And the fic isn't over yet, so don't think that this the last chapter. I don't own Naruto. Happy Easter!! Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	23. Chapter 22: Fix You

Chapter 22: Fix You

Metal met with a clash, kunai against sword, and sparks sprayed from the two weapons, threatening to ignite the grass in the clearing. Katana spun her wrist, twisting the kunai in Neji's grasp, pulling from his hand. She drew another sword and Neji ducked out of its path, striking at her knees with a palm thrust. Katana retaliated before he could touch her, driving her knee towards his face, nearly crushing his nose. He threw himself backwards and jumped to his feet, his Byuakugan detecting several shuriken flying towards him. He leaped into the air to avoid the projectiles and caught Katana weaving seals out of the corner of his eye.

"Katana! Stop!" But his words were too late; she had already initiated the jutsu.

"Katon! Gokakyu no Ju—!" Katana's words were lost as she cried out in pain and dropped to her knees, clutching her chest. She coughed loudly, blood spurting from her jaw, beginning to tremble as Neji landed on the ground and knelt by her side.

"Are you okay?" Neji asked, resting a hand on her back. She didn't respond, keeping her eyes on the ground and hands just below her sternum. "What are you thinking? You can't use a jutsu like that so soon. You could kill yourself."

"I know that, Hyuuga," Katana said bitterly. She wiped her mouth on the back of her gloved hand, giving him a sidelong glance. "I didn't realize it at the time. When I have an opponent unguarded in the air, I always hit them with a Katon. I was so used to the combination that I didn't think it through, I just acted." She placed a hand on Neji's shoulder and used it to assist herself to her feet. He followed her and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You can't be careless like that," Neji chided coldly. "If you had tried a jutsu that required more chakra, you could have shattered your keirakukei. It can't take the force of your chakra right now."

"Do you enjoy reminding me?" Katana snapped coldly. "I know how fragile my chakra network is. I can _feel_ it; I can feel the chakra moving through my body. And it hurts. It burns as if my chakra was on fire and it's slowly scalding my insides. Why do you think that strengthening my body will help strengthen my keirakukei?'"

"The keirakukei is closely interwoven with each internal organ. The more your body works, the more your internal organs have to work, thus they will slowly get stronger. This will hopefully strengthen your keirakukei as well."

"And what if it only gets worse? Stressing my organs may stress my chakra network. Did you think of that?"

"I did, but I will know if you develop any problems." Neji tapped the side of his left eye where veins from his bloodline rose through the skin. "I can see your keirakukei, after all."

Katana self-consciously folded her arms in front of her chest, not particularly comfortable with the idea of him being able to see through her. "Fine, then let's continue."

"Hn. Just don't use any jutsu this time. Start thinking more and acting less or you may not see the next sunrise."

"Way to boost my confidence, Hyuuga," Katana muttered. "Now I can sleep peacefully."

*********************

"What do you have in mind now?" Neji walked over to a shallow pond, three feet at the deepest, and paused at the edge at Katana's question.

"I want to see if you still have control over your chakra," he replied and gestured to the pond. "Walk on the surface."

Katana blinked at the simplicity of the drill, having been able to walk on water since she was eleven. She stepped forward and looked down at the clear, smooth surface of the pond, but a flicker of worry flashed through her. The thought that she possibly would be unable to do it made her stomach churn. She extended her foot forward, focusing her chakra and placed it on the water, breaking the mirror-like perfection. Her foot didn't seem unstable and she added the other, standing firmly on the surface. She took several steps out and stood in the center where the water was the deepest. Katana breathed a sigh of relief, but gasped as her feet began to burn with fiery lines of pain shooting from her toes up her legs.

Katana felt her feet begin to sink as her chakra control slipped, water lapping her skin. Neji stepped onto the pond and wrapped his arms around her before her control was entirely lost. Both her feet completely submerged before Neji caught her, and Katana halted the flow to her feet, the pain fading away sluggishly. She stared at the water beneath her, trying to focus her chakra to lift herself to the surface, but the pain returned in several sharp stabs.

"This isn't as good as I had hoped," Neji murmured, supporting the kunoichi against his chest.

"I don't believe this," Katana whispered, shaking her head. "I can't even do something this basic. This means that- that…"

"Don't get worried," Neji said firmly, walking her back to the grass. "Remember, you only got discharged from the hospital three days ago. This is our first day training. You'll only get better from here."

"How can you say that? What makes you so sure?"

Neji looked down at her, his white eyes blinking several times. "I've know many people with serious injuries and they all come back stronger than ever. I know that you will be no different."

Katana felt a blush begin to creep up her cheeks and she turned away, pretending to fix her fingerless gloves. She considered his words a compliment, and she knew that Neji Hyuuga rarely gave out compliments. "I hope so, Hyuuga. I seriously hope so."

"I know a lot about the keirakukei because of my Jyuuken," Neji continued, looking absently up at the sky between the trees. "I've done my fair share of damage to various people, and it usually affects them for a long time. But-" he looked at Katana's alarmed expression with calm features- "the ones that survived always turned out okay. It takes time, remember that, but everything returned to normal after they healed."

"How much time? I can't stay like this forever."

"If you remain strong and don't let your body atrophy, it shouldn't be too long. Just don't give up."

"Great, now don't say that my recovery will be 'youthful'. You're starting to sound like your sensei with the 'don't give up' junk."

"The day I begin to resemble my sensei is the day that Lee trades his spandex for normal clothes: never."

* * *

Katana's eyes flew open and she gasped loudly in the silence, sitting bolt upright. She shivered with the cold sweat that had broken out across her forehead and back, making her bare arms prickle with the chill. She tried to calm her heavy breathing, and she looked around the room, making sure that she was safe in Anko's apartment. Safety confirmed, Katana flopped back down onto her pillows, sighing gruffly. She stared at the ceiling, images from her nightmare lingering behind her eyelids whenever she blinked, making sleep seem not very inviting. She was exhausted from her training with Neji, but her sleep had been restless, fiery pain jolting her from slumber on several occasions.

Her training had been uneventful and disappointing. It had been four days since she discovered her inability to walk on water, and she had made no improvement. She had also tried climbing a tree with chakra to find that it was only possible with the same extreme pain in her feet. Neji had said that it was from the chakra being channeled through the weak chakra veins, the keirakukei damaged and not able to sufficiently control her energy. She had been trying so hard, forcing herself to keep control even though it felt as if she was walking over flaming coals instead of water or tree bark. And it wasn't getting any better.

It was taking time, too much time. Katana was patient, but having no way to control her chakra made her want things to progress faster. But the more she practiced and tried, the worse things seemed. She had been unable to walk normally earlier that day because her chakra had somehow leaked from her keirakukei in her feet and had reacted negatively with the tissues and cells. She had been forced to walk with an awkward limp and required assistance of handrails to climb stairs. Little by little, Katana felt as if she was falling apart. She rolled over and fell into fitful sleep, tormented by nightmares of different kinds, but all bearing the same message: she wasn't going to get any better and would inevitable fail.

* * *

"Slowly, don't rush yourself."

Katana gripped Neji's forearms tighter, trying unsuccessfully to balance herself on the water's surface. They both stood on the small pond, or Katana was trying to at least, with their arms linked so Katana wouldn't fall into the water. She grit her teeth, willing her burning feet to keep her above the water line, but she continued to slowly sink.

"You need a break."

"No! I can do this. I will stay above the surface today."

"Katana, straining yourself is the worst thing to do right now."

"How am I going to get any better that way? I have to try. I can't just sit idle and wait for my keirakukei to heal. I have to get stronger. I can't lose my title as a shinobi." Katana set her jaw and rose several inches in the water, the liquid up to her ankles before she winced and plunged down to her knees. Neji pulled her up and led her to the grass, letting her sit at the edge of the pond while he stood behind her. She was muttering curses and rubbing her feet, trying to wring the excess water from her pants. She had rolled them up to the middle of the lower leg, but they were now soaked to her mid-thigh.

Neji looked down at her, seeing her throw angry glares at the water as if it was the cause of her problems. "Don't get frustrated. It will only make things worse."

"Make things worse? I don't think that it will have any effect at the moment. Look at me. I'm a jounin that can't even walk on water. It's pathetic. It's been almost a week and I haven't made any improvement whatsoever. I think that you're the only thing that keeps me going, Hyuuga." Katana looked at him over her shoulder. "I probably would have given up if it weren't for you. I'm very grateful for the time you've spent with me."

"Hn," Neji replied, averting his gaze from eyes. "I think that we should stop for today."

"Why? I'm fine to continue."

"You should rest, though," he said firmly. "I can see that you're in pain and you've strained yourself a little too much today. And, besides, I have to go somewhere."

"Go somewhere?" Katana watched him nod and she raised an eyebrow. "May I ask where?"

"Just… Someone I know has wanted to go somewhere with me for a while and…"

Katana stared at Neji and couldn't believe her eyes. He almost looked nervous and flustered, unable to find the words to speak for once in his life. "So you're going on a…_ date_?"

He was evidently caught off guard. "I wouldn't call it that," he said defensively, turning his head away. "I have to go. We shall meet here tomorrow at the same time as today. Rest yourself tonight and try not to strain yourself anymore today."

"Since when have you been a medic?" Katana asked sarcastically, but Neji seemed uncomfortable. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, but I ask you not to tell anyone that I'm going somewhere. It would be better if it remained unknown to most people."

"Uh, okay. It's the least I can do for you with all that you're doing for me."

"Hn. I shall see you tomorrow."

"Certainly." Katana watched him walk away. "And thank you, Hyuuga." He paused for a moment, but didn't turn around. He leaped away and she stood up, pondering where he could possibly be going and whom he was going with.

*********************

The day passed quickly and Katana refused to heed Neji's advice. She continued to practice, driving herself onward although her entire body was beginning to throb with the searing pain of her damaged keirakukei. But she had set a goal earlier that day and was determined to achieve it: she wanted to be able to hang upside down from a tree by her feet for one minute.

She had gotten up the tree with some difficulty, her feet slipping every now and then, but she eventually made it to one of the higher branches. She teetered perilously over the ground, the once simple task proving a challenge in itself. Taking a breath, Katana let herself fall backwards, her feet sliding on the bark, the only thing keeping her from falling. She dangled from her feet, the world inverted from her position and the blood began to rush to her head. Once she was certain that she was somewhat stable, she began counting.

Around twenty seconds, her feet began to burn and she grit her teeth. Katana closed her eyes, willing the pain to go away, but it seemed to only get worse. She continued to count, struggling not to fall to the ground five meters below. She began to shake, the pain spreading up her legs like poison in her blood. She feared that she wouldn't be able to stay attached and that she would fall just before she completed her goal. At ten seconds left, Katana detected a chakra flare rushing towards her and her concentration slipped for a moment.

She felt one of her feet slip and she swung precariously, eyes wide and staring at the ground, waiting for it to come rushing up at her. But she forced other foot to remain against the tree, counting down the last few seconds. She reached a minute and exhaled with relief, but her foot throbbed and she fell. Tumbling to the earth, Katana knew she wasn't going to be able to break her fall with chakra and waited to feel what it was like to hit the ground at full force. But the landing didn't come. Two arms caught her before she reached the ground, and Katana stared in shock into two bright green eyes.

"Riki?!" she cried in astonishment. "What are you doing here?"

"Catching you, apparently," he said with a smirk. "I felt your chakra flare and I thought that I should talk with you. I never did get a chance to officially thank you for saving my life."

"Oh, well, it was no big deal. I'm just glad that you did survive. Not many people can function after the attack you took. You can put me down now." Riki blushed and set her on the ground, scratching the back of his neck. It was then that Katana noticed that Riki's eyes were different. They were darker, almost a black-green, not the deep evergreen that they had previously been. His hair was a few shades darker too. "How have you been since then?"

"Alright. I'm still healing, but there haven't been too many problems. I just get tired very quickly for some reason and I don't seem to have as much chakra as I used to. It's weird, but the doctors said that it should pass eventually. I hear that you're case isn't as fortunate."

Katana hung her head and looked up at the tree she had fallen from. "No, I'm not doing as well as would hope. I was a little foolish in my choice of jutsu, but I wasn't thinking things through when I saw that you were almost dead…" Katana glanced over at him. "I'm glad that my sacrifice wasn't in vain and that you're okay."

"I really have to repay you in some way," Riki said, extending his hand. "Let me walk you home tonight. It's getting late and you don't seem too alert. That fall would have shaken anyone."

Katana's pride told her to refuse his offer, but her feet were burning and she would rather be assisted by Riki than have to ask some stranger for help along the way if the pain got worse. But she didn't take his hand and they walked side-by-side, just close enough for Riki to reach her if she stumbled or fell. The silence was uncomfortable and Riki desperately searched for something to talk about. Only one thing came to his mind and, although it was even more awkward than the silence, he had to get it off of his mind.

"Katana, do you remember what I told you before I got hit with that attack?"

She looked over at him, knowing exactly what he was referring too. "I do remember, Riki. But, as I said before, I don't understand. Also, you know how dangerous it is for shinobi to have feelings for each other. Just look at what happened to you."

"But look at yourself, as well. I was told that you used that jutsu to avenge me. You must feel something if you nearly killed yourself for my sake."

"It wasn't just for you. No other jutsu was strong enough to keep the Rinji Seibutsu at bay. The one I used didn't even work as I had wanted. I still ended up crippled. I'm sorry, Riki, but after what you were like when we were genin, it's going to take me a while to think of you differently."

Riki bowed his head, eyes shadowed by his bangs. "I don't think you realize how sorry I am about that."

"I know you're sorry, I just—," Katana choked on her words. They were walking through the back roads, parts of the Village that were less populated, and a small bridge was built over a stream. Two people stood on the bridge, unaware of Katana and Riki. Katana stared at them in shock, mouth slightly open in shock. It was Neji and Tenten. And they were wrapped in each other's arms.

"Katana? Are you okay?" Riki followed her line of sight and blinked in surprise. "Wow, didn't see that coming."

Katana dropped her gaze to the ground, eyes wide and mouth still open. _No way. This can't be happening. It just can't be. _This_ is where he was going? To be with _Tenten_?_ She clenched her hands into fists and began to shake. _I can't believe this._ Katana turned and shot away into the other direction, wishing that she hadn't seen what she had. She heard Riki follow her for some time, but she eventually lost him and she ran the rest of the way to Anko's apartment, the pain in her keirakukei nothing compared to the pain in her heart.

* * *

"I need you to do something for her."

Lady Tsunade raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing Riki over her clasped hands. He stood solidly in her gaze, his jaw firmly set, dark green eyes steady. She hardly knew of the boy, and knew his request was irrational.

"I'm sorry, Riki Shinkan, but I can't do anything."

"But you have to! You're the Legendary Lady Tsunade, the best medic in the history of Konohagakure! You have to find a way to heal her!"

"The keirakukei isn't something that is easily tampered with," Tsunade snapped, annoyed by his words. "The only people that can actually see it are Hyuugas and there aren't tools small enough to work on it. It's not like I could go in and stitch it back together. Katana brought this upon herself and she was fully aware of the consequences. There is nothing I can do."

"But- but—," Riki was unable to find the words and he bowed his head. "Please, she means more to me than anything else. I hate seeing her suffer like this. I'm the reason she used that jutsu. I'm the reason for her current pain. There has to be something you can do. Anything."

"The only hope she has is that somehow her chakra will heal her, but it seems unlikely. It would be easier if she had normal chakra, where I could give her some of my own, but she may lose her kekkei genkai if I do that. I'm sorry, Riki, but it's just the way things are. Nothing can be done."

"But she can possibly heal herself?"

"It can be possible, but it may have the opposite affect as well. She may regress as much as she can progress. At the moment, the fate of her life as a shinobi isn't in our hands."

Riki looked out the window. Storm clouds were rolling in the night sky, foretelling of rain in the days to come. "I just want her to be okay."

* * *

Katana restlessly tossed and turned and finally sat up. It had been four days since she had seen Neji and Tenten on the bridge and her progress was going nowhere. She rubbed her eyes and looked out the window, seeing the rain pelt the glass like small tapping fingers. She looked down at her hands, only one part of her body that ached, and closed her eyes, wishing to make her problems go away. Her existence was worthless if she couldn't be a shinobi, her life practically nothing more than that of a normal civilian. Neji had been growing more and more irritable with her, chastising her for overworking herself then growing angry that she hadn't been training well the past four days. But Katana couldn't help it. How could she look at him the same after she had seen him with Tenten?

One idea had been brushing the edge of Katana's thoughts since she began regressing, and it grew more and more tempting each day that she failed. And now, with more pain than just in her keirakukei, Katana made up her mind. She rose to her feet and retrieved her rucksack and began to pack several necessary survival supplies. She pulled on her typical shinobi clothes, even if she felt unworthy to wear them, and slipped on her back-plate apparatus. She pulled a scroll from her waist pouch, finding a pencil and wrote out a note to Anko, describing what she was doing and why. Leaving in on her pillow, Katana pulled off her leaf hitai-ate and laid it next to the scroll. She forced herself not to change her mind and walked out of the apartment, heading towards the Village gates.

Rain pelted her as she walked, but it provided the perfect cover for her departure. She walked down the only road that led out of the Village, thinking of what her decision would mean for her. She would be a rouge for the rest of her life, unable to return to the Village even if she wanted to. But the more she thought of it, the better a choice it seemed. She wouldn't have the guilt of being a worthless cripple and she wouldn't be a liability to the Village. And she wouldn't have to deal with her family for a while until the realized that she was gone. She passed a bench on the path, seeing the gates looming a large distance in front of her. A flash of white caught her eye in the rain and she paused, feeling a chakra flare close by.

"What are you doing here?" she growled to the person who stepped up behind her.

"I should be asking you the same thing," Neji said coldly. "I'm not the one carrying a rucksack and heading toward the Village gates. Where are you going? You can't possibly have a mission."

"You're right, I don't. I'm leaving."

"What are you talking about? You can't leave the Village."

"Yes I can. And you can't stop me."

"Why would you do something like that? You know what it will mean."

"It doesn't matter why I'm leaving. All you need to know is that you can't stop me. I'm going and that's that."

"Think this through for a moment."

"No, Hyuuga," Katana said angrily, turning to face him. "I'm sick of thinking this through. I've had plenty of time to think and now I'm taking action. I tried my best at getting my chakra control back, but I'm not succeeding. I tried to rest and take your advice, I tried to strengthen my body, but _nothing is working_. I'm regressing! I'm stuck in reverse and there's no way that I'm going forward." She felt tears beginning to well in her eyes, but the rain disguised her sorrow.

"You aren't expected to get better this soon," Neji retorted. "It's going to take much longer than this for your keirakukei to heal."

"But wouldn't you have expected some improvement?" Neji was silent. "See? I'm not getting any better." The tears started streaming down her face, hidden by the rain. "This is something that I can't replace. You only have one body, one life, and one keirakukei. And I've lost almost all of them. I have nothing left now. What's the sense of me staying?"

"You don't have to be a shinobi. You can specialize with your swords. And don't give up hope. I told you what happened to Lee."

"But I don't have any miracle operation. The Hokage can't do anything for me. I'm on my own. And I don't want to be a sword specialist. I've been a shinobi practically my whole life. I've been able to use jutsu since I was four, and to lose something that you've had your entire life is just too hard to bear. You wouldn't understand, Hyuuga."

"If you want to be a shinobi, you must endure and persevere. You can't give up. What will you do outside the Village? Where will you go?"

"I spent four years in the wilderness. I have connections and there are several establishments that would gladly welcome me back." Katana angrily wiped her tears away, only to have more take their place. "There is only one person that could make me stay, and he doesn't care about me. I've given up on everything now. I'll be better off alone."

"No, Katana." Neji watched as she turned and began to walk away. He took several steps to catch her and caught her forearm in his hand. "You can't leave."

"Why not? Don't act like you care, Hyuuga. I know you don't. You're too busy with Tenten to give anything about me."

"What are you taking about?"

"I saw you the other night. I know where you were the day you left training early. I saw you two on the bridge. Don't act like I'm the one that you want to help. I can see right through you."

"You don't understand. Tenten has been having some trouble with her relatives and she wanted to talk with me. She got upset on the bridge, that's all."

"Yeah, nice cover for that hug you two were locked in. I'm sure her troubles were washed away by that, and you know doubt made her feel even better after I left: your mouths were a little too close to be friends."

"You're being ridiculous," Neji growled. "I did nothing of the sort. I don't know where these wild claims are coming from, but you can't accuse me of such actions."

"Then let me go. That way, you can be happy and I can stop thinking about it."

"No. I won't let you go." He tightened his grip on her arm. "I won't let you throw yourself away. Who is this person who can make you stay? I'll bring him and make him keep you here."

"It's you, Hyuuga!" Katana cried, tears spilling down her face. "You're the only one who could have a chance at making me stay. But you don't care, so what's the point?"

"I do care. I don't want to see you throw your life away. You still have a future."

"Future? Look at me, Hyuuga." She wrenched her arm from his grasp and took several steps back, holding her arms out. "Go ahead. Use your Byakugan and see how badly I'm damaged. This can't be healed. I have no purpose for staying here." Neji didn't move; he already knew how badly her chakra network was damaged.

"You can't think that way."

"Just go away and let me LEAVE!" Katana's eye flared bright scarlet on the last word as if she was channeling the dragon's chakra. Neji took a step back and she cried out, putting her hands over her eyes. She looked up and her tears were visible; she was crying blood. Her eyes dimmed and she looked down at her bloodied gloves, red tears running down her cheeks, turning pink in the rain.

Neji walked up to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. They were both soaking wet and she was shivering. "Don't leave, Katana. Come on, let's go back."

"But, Hyuuga, this couldn't be worse. I've lost my title as a shinobi, I can't face going on as a cripple, and I just can't bear having nothing to live for." _And my feelings for you are wasted. I like you too much to let what I saw go._

"Just take things one day at a time," he said softly. "You may have lost what you can't replace, but it can be found again." He led Katana back towards the Village, two figures walking through the rain. "I promise I care. And I will try to fix you."

* * *

Author Note: wow, that was long. Because I forgot to mention it in the previous chapter, I wanted to say that the keirakukei=chakra network. It should clear some things up now. This chapter covered a lot of time (about a little over a week) so I hope that everyone understands it. Yeah, so I hope to update soon, but writer's block is starting to settle over me. I have several ideas, I just don't know how to put them in motion... '-.- I don't own Naruto, just my OCs. Thank you to all my readers and reviewers, especially those who review every chapter (I look forward to your comments every time I update :3) And I thank everyone who has favorited my story (I love seeing that people like what I've written). Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	24. Chapter 23: Truth

Chapter 23: Truth

Neji led Katana through the Village as the rain cascaded in sheets from the sky. She plodded on like a sleepwalker, hardly seeming to be aware of where they were headed. She rubbed the last of the blood that had trickled from her eyes and kept her gaze on the ground, shivering as the rain soaked her to the bone. She was leaning heavily against Neji's body, trying to keep as warm as possible, but her weak body wasn't in any shape to adapt to the weather. Neji walked with a sense of certainty even though their trek was farther than Katana would have liked; they were traveling to a part of the Village that she had never been to before. Neji came closer and closer to a large complex, practically dragging Katana along next to him. She willingly came until she looked up from the ground and recognized the building.

"Hold it, Hyuuga," she said, stopping dead in her tracks. "Is that your clan complex?"

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

She stared at the dark windows and closed doors, the forbidding exterior meant to keep any unwanted visitors away. "I can't go in there."

"What are you talking about? Of course you can. There is no barrier preventing you from entering."

"No, you don't get it. I can't go in there," she said firmly, looking up into Neji's white eyes. "After what one of your clan did to me, I…" She looked back at the complex, sinking her teeth into her lip. "If I were to see the one who did what he did to me, I wouldn't hesitate to kill him. Even in this weakened state, nothing could stop me."

"What did he look like?" Neji asked, trying to be patient but getting annoyed. "Maybe I will recognize him and I'll make sure you avoid him."

"I could never forget his face. He had white eyes, of course, death white skin, and sandy brown hair. I remember him because I never thought that Hyuuga's would have such light hair."

"You're right," Neji murmured, earning him a quizzical glance. "I know of no such Hyuuga to have sandy brown hair. The lightest I've seen is about your hair color, and that is rare. Whoever it was is unknown to me."

"Strange," Katana whispered, shivering violently with chattering teeth.

"We need to go inside."

"No."

"We can't stay in the rain, Katana. You're in no condition to be outside and you could get very sick if you stay out here. You have to dry off and get warm."

"I will, but not here."

"Katana," Neji growled coldly, making her flinch and look up with wide eyes. "Don't. Argue. With. Me. You're coming inside. Now." His voice was no louder than a murmur, but his tone compensated for volume. His icy words made Katana bow her head and take a step forward, and Neji was quick to guide her the rest of the distance to the large doors of the complex.

Neji opened one of the large double doors just enough for them to slip inside the small courtyard on the other side. From here, there were two sections of the complex and Neji turned towards the one on the left, pulling Katana with him and they stepped onto the slightly raised platform that wrapped around the entire base of the building. It had a large overhang and shielded the two shinobi from the rain as Neji walked to one of the large sliding doors that led into the complex. He ushered Katana inside and looked both ways down the hall, stepping lightly across the floor.

"Try not to make any noise," he whispered. "If someone from the Main Branch discovered that you were here, the punishments could be severe."

"Punishments for you or me?"

"Both of us, so just remain silent."

"You're talking to someone whose surname means 'stealth'; I think that I can be quiet. Although it would be a lot easier if I could use my kekkei genkai. I wonder if…" Katana lifted her hands and stared at her palms, her mind processing the idea.

"Don't take the chance," Neji hissed, grabbing one of her wrists.

"But this is my kekkei genkai. This is something I was born to be able to do. I should be able to…"

"Don't try it. You could end up even worse than you already are. You've coughed up blood from a simple Katon, so what makes you think that your body would be able to withstand the effects of your kekkei genkai?"

Katana bowed her head and nodded sadly. "You have a point."

"Come on," Neji said, activating his Byakugan and scanning the halls. "There isn't anyone nearby, but we have to move quickly. Follow me."

"Are there others in the halls?"

"No, not many. Only the few usual Branch Family members who can't seem to find sleep."

"Were you once of the usuals?"

He was silent for a moment. "I still am. I have been having trouble sleeping for a little over a week now, actually. I do sometimes pace the halls, but not nearly as much as the ones that are out tonight. But enough of this, we have to go."

Neji slipped down the hall, navigating the corridors with an expert sense of direction. Having walked the passageways since he was a child, he knew every twist, bend, and turn, confident in his movements. Katana would have been hopelessly lost if she hadn't had him as a guide, but she followed his request diligently. Neji would have never known that she was behind him if it weren't for his Byakugan detecting her presence. But she feared that her pounding heart was giving her away. The more steps she took deeper into the complex, the more fearful she became; memories and shadows taunting her. She focused her eyes on Neji's back as he walked, his wet white shirt seeming to be the only color in the whole complex. He finally came to a door and opened it, Katana entering warily.

She looked around curiously and was quick to realize that it was Neji's room. She jumped as he closed the door, noticing puddles of water on the floor tracking where she had stepped.

"The water… We've left a trail of where we walked," Katana whispered, her scalp prickling with the thought of being found.

"Don't worry, it will be cleaned by morning," Neji said curtly, stepping away from the door. He saw Katana shiver again and her teeth resumed to chatter and she wrapped her arms around herself, although her wet sweater only made her colder. "You're going to get sick."

"Well, what am I going to do? I don't have any extra clothes and the only thing that would warm me right now is a shower."

"That is exactly what I was going to suggest you do," Neji said quietly, Katana looking at him in confusion. "I can find you some clothes that the females here wear and the bathrooms they use aren't far from where we are now."

"You're joking, right? You can't possibly think that I would do that. It's against every bone in my body to be here as it is. I'm certainly not going to use your stuff."

"Don't worry; you won't get caught."

"Suppose I do. My previous experiences with your clan haven't been the most favorable, and I don't want to make the record any worse. You're the only reason that I'm not searching desperately for an exit right now."

"Look at yourself; you're shivering and shaking and you're weak to begin with. For your own good, use our facilities." Neji walked to the door and glanced back at Katana. "You have no other option if you want to stay here. I'm trying to help you if you didn't realize it. I'm going to find you something to wear, so don't leave this room and don't make any noise if you can help it. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Katana watched him leave and the paranoia began to creep over her. She looked around the room, hoping it would provide protection from the others in the complex that may wish to do her harm. The entire room was dark, only a lamp on the bedside table providing light. The walls and furniture were made of dark wood, making the room seem smaller than it actually was. There were black sheets on the bed with a white sheet folded over the top, neatly made and properly arranged. Katana wondered if the darkness was because Neji was of the Branch Family or if it was just the way the room was decorated before he was born. She stepped over to the lamp and into the light, away from the shadows, and noticed two picture frames and objects on the table.

One of the pictures was of Team Gai when it was first formed as a genin team. Gai was in the back in his "nice guy" pose, Lee was on the left and had his fist clenched and arm flexed with a determined look on his face, and Tenten was in the middle with a large grin on her face. Neji was on the right, looking annoyed; his arms were folded over his chest and his eyes were looking away from the camera with an expression that said "why am I with these bozos?". The three of them looked very different as children, although Tenten still had her buns and Neji's hair was still long, but Lee wasn't wearing spandex and he didn't have the ridiculous bowl haircut.

The next picture was of a man that looked like an older version of Neji. He had sharper cheekbones and his face looked weary, as if he had spent many days fighting, but he still held slight dignity and pride. Katana speculated that Neji would look exactly like him as he grew older. Next to his picture was a pale yellow feather, slightly ragged as if it had been there a while. Everything was neat and orderly in its own place and Katana reached out to the feather, but didn't touch it. She heard footsteps and whirled around, Neji opening the door and entering the room.

"What are you doing?"

"Sorry, I was just admiring the pictures. You looked so different when you were a genin, so much less experienced. And that man in the other picture is…?"

"That was my father," Neji said with a solemn expression. "He died a long time ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that. You look a lot like him. And may I ask what that feather is?"

"You know about the Uchiha Clan, right? Well, the sole surviving member went to Otogakure about three years ago. Five genin, including myself, were sent on a mission to retrieve him. We each had to fight a member of the squad sent to escort him, and I nearly died in my fight. I defeated my opponent, but he injured me severely, and when I woke in the hospital, the doctor said that feather was in my hand. It serves as a reminder of the good that came of the mission, but the scar I have on my shoulder does well to remind me of the bad. Naruto was unable to bring the Uchiha back and the mission failed."

"That's unfortunate," Katana murmured, looking back at the feather.

"Enough talk of the past. I brought you something to wear and I can show you the baths are."

"Oh," Katana said, remembering why he had left. "Okay." She followed him down a hall, keeping close as they traveled through the corridors. The distance wasn't far and Neji gave her simple directions to get back to his room. He handed her the clothes he had brought for her and disappeared around a corner, leaving her alone to enter the bathroom. It was elaborate and neat; Katana shocked that the Branch Family would have something so nice. If this was their quality, the Main Branch must live like royalty.

There were opaque screens positioned around a large heated basin, lights illuminating the room from the walls and ceiling. Steam rose from the water and Katana dipped her hand beneath the surface, feeling the warm liquid coat her hand. She quickly pulled off her soaking clothes and set the ones that Neji had given her by one of the screens. She slipped into the water and sighed contently; the water was the perfect temperature even though it was late in the evening. She wanted to stay there forever, floating in the warm water and soaking away her aches and pains. But remembering where she was and what could happen if she was caught, Katana didn't prolong her stay.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Neji looked down at the feather on his bedside table, searching through his memories to bring himself back to when he was a genin, but the times were vague compared to what mattered now. He rolled his left shoulder, running his hand over the roughly circular scar that nearly cost him his life. He couldn't remember the pain, but the scar always reminded him of what he went through. There was a knock on his door and he pulled a customary Hyuuga shirt over his head before telling the person to enter; only then realizing how long it had taken her.

Katana slipped inside and Neji was caught off guard by her appearance. Her damp hair was out of its typical bun; instead snaking down her back in a long braid. She was wearing one of the robes that female of the Branch Family wore, black with a white trim and a white obi. It was strange to see her in the feminine clothing, and even stranger to see someone with dark eyes dressed in a Hyuuga robe. She stepped up to him slowly, seeming awkward in her movements for some reason.

"Thank you, I feel a lot better now," she said to break the silence, keeping her eyes down. Neji was dressed differently as well, wearing dark pants and a dark long-sleeved shirt with a fishnet at the neckline. "I guess I should go now." She ran her tongue over her teeth and winced, rubbing her fingertips against her thumbs.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just hurting again," she said quietly, looking down at her hands. Her nails seemed longer and more pointed than they had before. Her teeth had been sharp against her tongue, nearly slicing it open. "It seems to be getting worse after the bath."

"I thought you said you felt better."

"I do, but I meant mentally. I realize how foolish I was to think that I could leave the Village. My physical state isn't any better though."

"Let me see your hands."

He said nothing more and Katana stepped up to him, extending her palms. He took her hands in his own and her cheeks acquired a dusty blush. She had never had nice hands; they were rough with callous from wielding her swords and the knuckles were scarred from taijutsu punches. But Neji didn't seem to notice, only examining her fingertips. She slowly lifted her gaze and looked up into his eyes, her heart fluttering in rare way. He caught her looking at him and turned his gaze from her hands to her, hands still clasped in his own.

"What is it?"

"Oh, it's just… nothing," Katana faltered, looking down and pulling her hands away.

"Were your teeth always that sharp?"

"Excuse me?"

"Your teeth," Neji said slowly. Katana touched her lips and felt the edges of her teeth with her tongue. The canines seemed sharper and larger than before, and she slightly tasted blood around her gums.

"Something's not right," she said quietly, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Maybe you should stay here tonight."

"No way, that is something I will refuse no matter what," Katana said firmly. "Where would I go?"

"I would offer you a different room, but there is too high a risk that you will be discovered. You would stay here."

Katana's eye widened and her heart began pounding. "I couldn't. Do you know what you're saying? _I_ can't possibly stay in _your_ room."

"It's against my better judgment as well, but I don't think you will find another place safer than here."

"Safer? This is the place I fear for my safety the most."

"You have to stay here."

"I _won't_," Katana snarled, her eyes flaring crimson. She winced and snapped her eyes shut, pressing her palms over her face. "What's going on with me? Why is this happening?"

Neji stepped up to her and took her wrists, removing her hands from her face, watching blood begin to dribble from her eyes. He walked her over to his bedside table and retrieved a cloth from the small drawer and sat down on the bed with her beside him. He took her cheek into one hand and turned her face towards him, gently cleaning the blood from her eyes.

"You aren't well," Neji said softly. "You need someone to watch after you. Tell me why you're so afraid. What was the incident with the other Hyuuga?"

Katana blinked the last of the blood from her eyelashes and turned her gaze away. "I guess this is the most appropriate time to do so." She took a breath but didn't look back at him, keeping her eyes on the ground. "I have always been mature for my age, and sometimes it caused more harm than good. I had developed a liking for a Hyuuga, but, as I've said before, my family didn't approve. As I grew older, they became more and more strict, and eventually I joined the Anbu to escape their nagging and attempts to control me. My brother knew that I was trying to avoid my family, so he formed the plan that causes me my current dilemma.

"I returned from one of my missions, and, for some reason, I went home and not to Anko's apartment. My brother and several of my cousins were waiting for me, and when I entered my room, they attacked. One of my cousins trapped me in a genjutsu and I was unable to move or fight back; the others making sure that I wouldn't break the illusion by any of the typical methods. After I was securely trapped, the Hyuuga with the sandy brown hair entered the room." Katana's breath hitched and she buried her face in her hands. Her shoulders began to shake and Neji wrapped his arm around her.

"Do you want to continue?"

"I have to," she whispered, speaking through her fingers. She fought back the tears that were threatening to roll down her cheeks and breathed to calm herself down. "The Hyuuga… I'll just say it… he tried to rape me."

Neji reacted in surprise, rising to his feet abruptly, leaving Katana sitting alone. "You can't be serious. No Hyuuga would ever do such a thing."

"I know what I almost went through," Katana growled. "Don't you dare accuse me of lying. The only reason that I escaped before he was able to finish what he started was because my cousin who used the genjutsu was physically weak and couldn't hold me once I realized what the Hyuuga was trying to do. I was too desperate to escape and my will was too strong for him to keep me down. After the genjutsu was broken, I was able to escape, but my brother wasn't very willing to let me go unscathed." She ran her hand over the scar on the left side of her face. "He gave me this as a parting gift before I was able to use a Teleportation Jutsu to escape."

"But this Hyuuga," Neji said, shaking his head slightly. "I've never heard tell of him, and we just would defile someone in that way. This just doesn't seem right. It just wouldn't happen."

"You wanted to know and now you don't believe me," Katana said weakly, the tears beginning to fall. "What did you want me to say? You know my secret, so what am I supposed to do?" She buried her face in her hands and doubled over, shaking with silent sobs. Neji stared at her, but his doubt began to fade. Her pain was evident and she wouldn't lie about something so drastic and wouldn't be so affected if it hadn't happened. He sat back down and rested a hand on her back. She sat up and threw her arms around his neck, burying her face into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry for what happened to you," Neji whispered, running his hand over her back. He held her until she collected herself, but she didn't remove herself from his arm, comforted by him against her aching body. "You should get some rest." She didn't protest and was eventually asleep in Neji's bed with him asleep on the floor, but he didn't mind; the truth could drain someone of their strength, and Neji felt weighted by the revelation. Now that he knew what she had been through, he couldn't fail her. Although he was one of the same clan that had harmed her, he was the only hope she had to be able to see that Hyuugas weren't as bad as she believed.

* * *

Author Note: sorry for the late update, I had a VERY busy weekend... softball... blarg. Games and fundraising and team bonding isn't a fun way to spend a weekend. I was worried my my title as "best updater ever" (thank you Lady Phantasmagoric XD) was in jeopardy, but I hope this sustains is. So the big revelation... I know I have a sick mind, but I didn't think that anything else would make Katana react to Hyuugas the way she did. For the "customary Hyuuga shirt", they were worn in the filler episodes so you have to go there to get a visual. And the cousin with the genjutsu was Genkaku, if anyone didn't make the association. Other than, I don't have much else to say. Thanks to my readers and reviewers ( I've been loving some of the feedback I've been getting!!! You guys make me soooo happy!!! :3), and I don't own Naruto, just my OCs 'n stuff. Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	25. Chapter 24: Wait For You

Chapter 24: Wait For You

_'Katana-sama.'_

The voice echoed through her head like a whispering ghost, there but not tangible. She opened her eyes, but wasn't staring at the dark walls she had fallen asleep in front of. The world around her was a swirling collage of whimsical colors. Deep blues and reds swirled into violet, and greens cascaded from blues and yellows. Tiny pinpricks of stars seemed to shimmer and Katana recognized the scene from a picture she had seen about far off galaxies. She stood in space; her feet solidly planted on nothingness, and in front of her stood a pure white dragon, a blue moon and star tattooed between its eyes.

_'Katana-sama.'_

"Yume-Tatsu? What's going on?"

The dragon snorted in annoyed frustration. _'You're a hard person to reach, Katana-sama. I've been trying to contact you for the past two weeks, but your sleep hasn't been deep enough for me to get through. Where are you that you are sleeping so soundly tonight?'_

Katana paused before speaking, thinking of whose bed her physical form was sleeping in at the moment. "I'm over a friend's house."

_'You're always over a friends house. You have no home to call your own, so where are you? You can't be with Anko because her snoring prevents you from getting adequate sleep. Which friend are you with?'_

"It doesn't matter," Katana said firmly. She knew the dragon wouldn't be pleased if he knew where she was. "Why have you contacted me? It must be for something urgent."

The dragon curled his upper lip at not receiving the answer to his question, but knew to respect her demands. She was his master, after all. _'I come to discuss your current predicament. We have come up with a way to heal you.'_

"Heal me? What from?"

_'Look at yourself! Look at your nails, all twenty of them. Feel your teeth.'_ Katana glanced down at her hands and inhaled sharply. Her nails were thicker and becoming curved, a dangerous point on the end of each. She ran her tongue over her teeth and felt the dagger-like ends split her tongue open slightly. _'You see. We can stop this.'_

"But what is this? What's happening to me?"

_'You don't know? Just think for a moment. You demanded one of us to give you all of our chakra. How foolish can you be? Did you honestly think that your body could handle that much chakra from a species nowhere near related to yours?'_

Katana bowed her head. "I was furious at the time, and I've realized how foolish my decision was. I've paid my price; I've nearly destroyed my keirakukei."

_'That's not the only thing you did to yourself.'_ Katana looked at Yume-Tatsu with confusion. _'The chakra of a summon beast is everything. Our chakra is like your blood, and you're very lucky that the one who gave his chakra to you is still alive or the Elders wouldn't have been very happy. Anyway, with the amount of chakra pumped into your body at once, it tampered with everything in your body. You had some immediate symptoms, such as your teeth and nails growing, but the damage has progressed far more than that now._

_'When you lost control of yourself and the chakra took you over, it began to meddle with your cells. Most were destroyed and others were removed when you were in the hospital, but the remaining cells were permanently changed. Our chakra contains our DNA and when you lost control, it began to overtake your cells as well as your mind. As your fight wore on, some of your cells were altered and our genetic information was integrated with your own. The cells with our DNA are more powerful and as they multiply, they destroy your normal cells.'_

Katana felt the blood drain from her face. "So you're saying that I'm… I'm…"

_'Yes, Katana-sama. You're, little by little, turning into a draconic creature.'_

"But that's impossible! It's against the laws of nature! I can't be—!"

_'It's against the laws of nature for people to walk on water,'_ the dragon spat. Katana hung her head and stared at her hands. _'You see the seriousness of this, right?'_

"Yes, but why did it get so bad all of a sudden? I was fine with only pain in my keirakukei, but now I'm changing."

_'Have you done anything to make yourself hot recently?'_

"I took a bath not too long ago."

_'There's your answer. Heat makes things move faster, so the cell division was accelerated. You have to come to us as soon as you can. I just hope it's not too late already.'_

"Then use a reverse kuchiyose and bring me to the mountain."

_'That can't be done. It requires some of your chakra and you have so little left that it could prove catastrophic. I'm going to dispatch Dekata-Ryuu to you and have him teleport you here. Tell me where you are so I can tell him were to go.'_

Katana saw his plan and folded her arms over her chest. "No way. Just tell him to search the training fields. I can be picked up in one of them."

_'In your condition, you're going to need assistance. I'm sure your friend wouldn't like to be woken up in the middle of the night.'_

"I don't think he will mind."

_'HE?! You're at a boy's house?! It better not be with that bastard Riki.'_

"No! Don't insult him like that, Yume-Tatsu. He's not bad like he used to be. I'm not with him."

_'Then where are you. Tell me or I'll look through your mind. You can't resist me in the state you're in.'_

"You wouldn't dare harm me."

_'If it is for your safety, it can be justified. Tell me, or I will have no choice.'_

Katana glared at the white dragon's icy blue eyes. He could enter a person's mind in the same way he could enter their dreams, but it was an offensive attack and caused great pain and lasting headaches. Katana looked away into the cosmic swirls and sighed heavily. "I'm in the Hyuuga complex."

The dragon sputtered in shock. _'You're joking. Are you insane? You know what they did to you and who's to say that they won't do it again? You're in the hornet's nest, Katana-sama. You won't be able to defend yourself this time.'_

"You don't get it. The Hyuuga I'm with would never do that. I think that one time was just a fluke. Hyuugas would never do what they did to me. That one Hyuuga was different."

_'Don't think you're safe. They have the ability to see through things. Who's to say that they aren't looking through someone's clothes? And their Jyuuken is just an excuse to cop a feel. You said yourself that the other Hyuuga had your pants around your knees before you got away.'_

"Shut your jaw, Yume-Tatsu! You're out of line!" Katana snarled. "Don't remind me of what he did. And how can you make just claims about them? Hyuugas are one of the most proper and dignified Clans in Konohagakure. They would never engage in such immoral actions."

_'Don't be so sure. Anyway, get out of there as best you can and Dekata-Ryuu will come as fast as he can. Until then, try not to let those white-eyed monsters finish what they started.'_

"Don't talk about them like that!" Katana snapped. "If you know what one of them has done for me, you would bite your own tongue off. He has—," Katana choked on the air she was inhaling and felt her chest contract with pain. She cried out and fell to the celestial floor, clutching her chest. The world around her began to spin and shudder, dissolving slowly.

'_Katana-sama! You're altered cells must have reached a vital area in your body! It's getting worse. I'll send for Dekata-Ryuu. He'll be at a training field as fast as he c—!"_

* * *

Neji grabbed Katana's shoulder and shook her awake. Her eyes flew open and she began coughing, clutching her chest and struggling to breathe.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Hyuuga, I- I-," Katana struggled to speak, sitting up and doubling over. "Something's really wrong this time. It feels like- like- my chest is caving in."

"We have to get out of here," Neji said quietly, throwing the door a nervous glance. "Someone may have heard you, and getting discovered wouldn't help you." He walked over to one of the large windows in the wall and opened it, admitting a gust of wind. "Come on." He took her wrist and gently led her out of his bed and to the window, assisting her onto the ground outside.

Neji half led half dragged Katana through the trees that surrounded the back of the compound. He set his general direction for one of the training fields, getting a certain feeling that it would be the best place to go. Katana's breathing was harsh and shallow, rattling in her chest that she clutched with the hand not in Neji's grasp. She stumbled and collapsed to the ground, a groan rising from her throat.

"It's too hard to breathe," she whispered, her eye wide as she struggled to inhale a sufficient amount of air. She coughed and shuddered, swaying slightly where she had fallen to her knees. She leaned forward, clutching her chest and supporting herself with her other hand against the ground. Katana's wheezing breath alarmed Neji and he sunk to the ground next to her, activating his Byakugan.

Her keirakukei was visibly damaged, some sections worn away or ragged like a moth-eaten cloth, but it was hardly any worse than it had been before. The main problem was at the center of her chakra network: a large, fiery pulsing mass of chakra that wasn't entirely her own. It writhed and flared, making her insides contort and crunch to its violent energy. Katana coughed again, blood spurting from her mouth, her throat nearly shutting closed. It was the chakra that was making her body change, and Neji knew how to stall it. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to her feet, supporting her body as she struggled to breathe.

"Katana, do you trust me?" Neji asked in a quiet yet serious tone. She stared at him in confusion, but coughed violently again and was hardly able to remain standing. "Katana, please give me an answer. I can stop this, but I need you to trust me."

She looked up at him, her eyes shimmering a flamboyant scarlet, and he could feel her body shudder involuntarily. "I trust you," she wheezed weakly.

Neji grit his teeth and shifted her in his grasp. His palm flared with chakra and he thrust it into Katana's stomach, the same attack he had used against Hinata in the first Chuunin Exam he took, and a sharp cry rose from her mouth. The Jyuuken strike blocked the flow of the alien chakra and her eyes dimmed back to brown. Katana slumped into him and he lifted her off the ground. Neji was struck with déjà vu as he carried her yet again because she was incapacitate for some reason. He carried her further into the training field, her body limp and motionless because her chakra was unable to flow.

"Hyuuga," she whispered, the gentle wind nearly tearing her words away. "Put me down." He obeyed reluctantly, unsure if it was wise for her to be resting on the cold ground. But she sat up against a tree without assistance, and Neji was relieved that his attack had worked. She was okay… for now.

"We can't stay out here," he murmured, looking up at the sky.

"I'm not going to," Katana replied weakly. She explained her situation and how the dragons could heal her. "One is coming now for me to take me to the mountain where the dragons reside." She breathed heavily, savoring the air that she had previously been denied. "It's going to take a while for me to be healed so I won't be back soon. Who knows how much damage they're going to have to fix."

Neji looked up again and saw a shaped descending through the clouds. It spiraled several times then fell into a steep dive, unfurling its wings just before it smashed into the treetops. It landed heavily on the ground, making the earth shake momentarily, and turned its yellow eyes on the shinobi sitting beneath the trees.

"Make haste, Katana-sama," Dekata-Ryuu growled. "Time is of the essence, so come before it's too late."

Katana struggled to her feet and Neji grasped her forearm, leading her to the dragon. It rested itself on the ground and let her mount its back. It rose to its feet and Katana laid her head against its scaly neck, Neji's hand sliding down her arm and into her grasp. Her nails were more claw-like than before and she looked down at him weakly, dark circles vividly seen under her eyes.

"Please don't lose faith in my survival," she whispered, tightening her grip on Neji's hand.

"Don't worry. I'll wait for you."

The corners of her mouth lifted slightly and the dragon's eyes began to glow blue.

"Thank you."

The dragon threw its head back and roared to the night, a light bursting from its throat, and, in a flash of blinding energy, Neji was left alone in the training field.

* * *

"Is she some kind of celebrity or something?"

Riki looked at Anko in confusion, the Special Jounin rolling her eyes and sighing heavily. "Well, is she here?" he asked timidly.

Anko fixed Riki with a steely gaze. "No, she's not. You're the second person that's come asking for her today. She's been gone for a week with her dragons to get healing for that time she took the dragon's chakra. I don't know when she'll be back, so tell all the other people who think it's fun to disturb me that Katana isn't in the country at the moment."

Riki's shoulder's sagged and he hung his head. "Okay, thanks anyway."

"Humph," Anko grunted. "If she does happen to return anytime soon, give her a good beating for me. If Neji Hyuuga hadn't come and told me that she was with her dragons, I would have sent out a search party. The note she left me said that she was leaving the Village."

"Wait, Neji Hyuuga is the one that told you everything?"

"Yeah, is there a problem? Hey, Riki, are you okay?"

Riki clenched his hands into fists and gritted his teeth. "Thank you for your time, Anko-sensei," he growled. Turning on his heels, Riki stormed out of the apartment building, trying not to break anything in his path. The moon was high in the sky as he walked down the streets, the desolate buildings signifying that the people had long since left to turn in for the night.

_Why was she with him? How could she possibly stand to be around him after what that other one did to her? She used to be so strong, but what's happened to her? Have her emotions taken control of her again?_ Riki tried to get control of his emotions, but found it nearly impossible. Before he went berserk in the middle of the street, Riki shot off to one of the training fields to blow off some steam even though it was nearly the middle of the night. He leaped over the fence and sensed a chakra flare, interest sparked because of the time. Apparently, he wasn't the only late night trainer. Riki walked through the trees and froze in his tracks at the person to whom the chakra flare belonged.

"Of all the shinobi in the Village, it had to be _you_ that I meet tonight," Riki snapped, reaching a hand back to take hold of the axe strapped to his spine.

"What are you doing here?" Neji asked curtly, annoyed that his meditation had been interrupted.

"I should ask you the same thing," Riki snarled. "Or, rather, I should be asking what you've _been_ doing."

"What are you getting at?"

"Do I have to spell it out for you? What have you been doing with _her_?"

"I don't understand what you mean."

"So much for the Hyuuga 'genius'; I thought that you were smart. I mean what have you been doing with Katana?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"_Katana_! The girl who was on my genin team, the girl who's led your team several times, the girl who saved your sorry ass more than once, _the girl that you've been with for a long time now_." Riki struggled to manage his temper and it took all he had not to snap and lop off Neji's head with his axe.

"I don't know what rumors you have been hearing, but there is nothing between us. Nothing at all."

"I don't believe you," Riki growled. "You've been spending too much time with her and she's been changing because of it. I know what Katana's like, and since she's been with you, her behavior is returning to the way it used to be. She's letting her emotions cloud her judgment."

"I have done nothing to evoke such a change," Neji said, furrowing his brow in annoyance. Riki had no right to approach him like this. "She has been injured and I've been assisting her to try and get her strength back."

"Then I have some advice for you," Riki said in a sinister tone. "Stay away from her."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. You Hyuugas are all the same. You lure people into your trap and break their hearts or attack them like that other did to Katana. She's unsafe with you and needs someone who can properly defend her. You wouldn't do a suitable job, so back off."

"Are you saying that you could protect her better than I would be able to?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. All you do is hurt her and cause her pain. That can't be changed. She's mine, so _back off_."

"You speak like Katana is a possession that you can claim and own. She's a person, not some object."

"I would never treat her like one. You Hyuugas are the ones who treat people like dirt and leave them to die after they've lost everything."

"You have no place to make such irrational generalizations," Neji growled.

"So what are you going to do about it? If I see Katana get any worse than she already is, I won't hesitate to get her away from you. I'll fight for her if I have to."

"Fight for her? Against me? I'm sorry to tell you that you would never win against in a battle against me."

"If it was for Katana, I would never lose. She means everything to me. I would never let her fall victim to another one of you white-eyed, cold-hearted rapists."

Neji bolted forward and smashed his palm into Riki's chest, sending him into a tree several feet away. Composing himself quickly, confused how his emotions had leaked out and made him act, Neji strode up to Riki and pinned him against the tree with his forearm.

"You're lucky I didn't put chakra into that strike or you wouldn't be breathing right now," Neji whispered. Riki just stared at him in horror. "It interests me how you talk so big, yet can do nothing when your defense and offense are most needed. Are you really that weak? Hn, I thought so. And you actually though that you would be able to protect Katana. Don't waste your time." Neji removed his arm from Riki's collarbones and turned away. "She feels nothing for you, I'm quite sure. So give up your futile efforts. You would never prove a suitable partner for her." Neji walked away, leaving Riki robbed of his dignity and pride.

The green-eyed shinobi sunk to the ground, staring at the spot where Neji had disappeared. He hung his head and had the sickening feeling that Neji was right. He wouldn't be able to protect her if he needed to. Closing his eyes, Riki knew there was only one thing he could do: he had to wait for her. Wait until the end of time, a time when she could possibly return his feelings. For the rest of his life, he would wait. He knew of nothing else he could do.

* * *

Author Note: I am sooooooooo sorry for not updating last week. You have no idea how busy I was. I had no time whatsoever to write, so I'm going to try and make it up this weekend. I'm going to do my best. Anyway, I got a new avatar, so check it out on my profile if you want ( I think it's awesome X3) I also got Ultimate Ninja 4, so anyone who likes Naruto and has a PS2 should buy it (gameplay is awesome, there are shippuden characters which is awesome, and the graphics are awesome!!! All in all, an awesome game!!! And my best character is shippuden Neji 8D)... I would like to address the topic of reviews. First off, I LOVE the frekin' PARAGRAPHS i've been getting!!! If makes me feel great and I love to hear what everyone has to say. To address Lady Phantasmagoric: don't worry, I have a sadistic side too. I have originality, don't get me wrong, but there's a reason that she escaped (I have something planned) and if you want your "doesn't usually turn out that way" then keep on reading. There's going to be something like that later -- *S poiler* (somewhat... not really... maybe). Next to NeferNeferi: thanks sooo much for your long reviews, I really enjoy reading them ^_^ To shadowblossom15: buddy!!! thanks 4 everything 3 chu!!! And to all my other reviewers that have given me some feedback at some point in the story: YOU ABSOLUTELY ROCK!!!!!!!!! Well, that was long, so enough and I hope to update within the weekend. I own nuthin 'cept Katana 'n' stuff. Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	26. Chapter 25: Stronger

Chapter 25: Stronger

The sun had risen slightly over the horizon, the golden rays slanting through the leaves of the innumerable trees growing in Konohagakure. The birds had been sending up their calls for many hours already, but they only became louder as the light began to grow brighter. Insects were just beginning to buzz through the air, certain animals slinking through the foliage as they stalked their half-asleep prey. Only the wind ruffled the leaves and made the tree branches creak. There was no disturbance in the world, everything entirely natural and perfectly balanced. But this peace could only last for so long.

Footsteps quietly crunched over the fallen leaves and small plants littering the forest floor, sending birds and small animals skittering away from the abrupt noises. The intruder walked toward the large Village Gates, head held high, inhaling the sweetly fragrant air emitting from the plants surrounding the area. The enormous wooden entrance was just being opened, the early morning guards beginning their shift and preparing to face any person who should walk into the Village.

Kotetsu stood by the Gates, watching as a few of the younger guards finished securing the Gates so they wouldn't close involuntarily, and he spotted a figure walking down the road toward the Village. He alerted Izumo, his usual fighting partner, that he was going to investigate, and he shot off down the dirt path. He stopped several feet in front of the figure and paused, trying to remember why he recognized her.

"Well, isn't it odd how you would be the one to allow me entrance into the Village again, Kotetsu," she said with a smirk. "You were the one who met me the first time as well."

"You're the girl with the Anbu tattoo, aren't you?" Kotetsu questioned and she nodded. He stared at her for a moment, knowing there was something different since the last time they had met, but turned and shook his head. "The Hokage left something concerning you, so go ahead into the Village. You're cleared, but you should report to her first."

"Of course," she said with a subtle nod and she strode past him without looking back.

His eyes followed her as she left. She was dressed slightly different, wearing a black ankle-length cloak wrapped around her shoulders, decorated with flames rising up the back, bright red, orange, gold, and yellow cloth embroidered complexly. The wind caught the fabric and made it flare and roll out behind her, making the flames seem to come to life and threaten to set fire to any of the surrounding plants. The cloak didn't cover her swords entirely, leaving the hilts visible as a warning that she could be dangerous. Kotetsu continued to watch her with interest until she stepped through the Village Gates and disappeared in a Teleportation Jutsu.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Kotetsu shook his head and looked over at Izumo, the eyebrow not covered by his hair raised.

"What do you mean?"

"You look a little dazed. Why were you staring at her?" Izumo looked to where she had disappeared and back at Kotetsu. "It's not like you."

"She just looked different from when I saw her last. I don't know what it is, but something isn't the same with her." He trailed off, shaking his head again. "Never mind. It was dark last time I saw her. It's probably just a trick of the light."

* * *

The sunlight streaked through the open window, striking Neji's sensitive eyes and rousing him from his sleep. The sunlight had always served as his alarm clock; he couldn't stand the thought of having an annoying shriek rudely wake him every morning. The sun was much more reliable, it never failed to move above the horizon, and he wasn't disturbing any other of the members of his clan at six o'clock in the morning. He sat on the edge of his bed for a moment, staring out the window at the trees, avoiding direct eye contact with the sun. It had been over a week since he had run with Katana through the trees, over a week since she had left. It was different from when she was in the hospital; at least he knew where she was and how her progress was when she was there.

Shaking his head, Neji rose to his feet, pushing Katana out of his mind. If she hadn't come back by now, she wouldn't return any time soon. He changed into his normal attire and walked silently through the complex, taking every precaution to make no noise. He shot off toward one of the training fields once he was outside, moving as swiftly as possible to keep his mind occupied. Leaping easily over the chain link fence that determined the training field's boundaries, Neji paused and sensed a flare of chakra.

It had some familiarity to it, yet it had another side to it, something entirely alien and unknown. He approached carefully, ascending into the trees to keep himself concealed. The flare was dim, as if the owner was remaining motionless, but it sparked in erratic intervals. Neji got as close as he dared and activated his Byakugan, staring through the trees to the source of the chakra. His eyes widened and he shot forward, coming to rest in a tree at the edge of the clearing where the chakra's owner stood.

Katana was motionless, her eyes closed and hands clasped in front of her chest as if she were praying. The ground around her was pocketed with trenches and what looked like over sized gopher holes. Her chakra flared sharply and a sharp pillar of rock burst from the ground in a spray of soil, grass, and pebbles. It stood solidly for a moment, then sunk back into the ground, leaving and hole in the ground similar to the others. Katana wove her hands from Sign of the Snake, to Sign of the Hare, then back to Sign of the Snake. The earth shuddered slightly and five pillars burst up in a circle around her, blocking her from view until the pillars slithered away. Katana crouched and placed her palms flat on the ground and the numerous holes and trenches began to fill as if they had never been there.

She stood straight and drew two of her swords, holding them crossed above her head, emitting a drawn out exhale. Her eyes flashed open, a slanting sunray catching the side of her face, turning her brown eyes into a warm amber. But her expression was fierce and her scar stood out vividly, giving her a hostile appearance. She brought the swords down to her sides forcefully and began an attack combination. She dove to the side then shot into the air, driving her swords upwards, then spinning in midair with her swords extended. She landed in a crouch and buried her swords into the ground. Rising, Katana wove several hand seals and grasped her sword hilts. She jerked them from the ground, the blades igniting with a chakra stimulated fire.

She whipped them through the air, leaving fiery trails over the ground and singeing the low-hanging tree leaves. Her combination was almost like a dance, the way she spun and lunged, her arms weaving the swords in a way only masters could duplicate. Katana extended her swords in front of her and drove them into the ground, vaulting over them and into the air, landing several feet away with her arms extended behind her. She thrust her arms forward, the two swords wrenching from the ground and flying into a tree in front of her. The bark exploded with the impact of the fiery swords, wood chips and hot tree sap scattering into the air. She stood up and tugged her swords free from the tree, the flames extinguished. She stood motionless, then spun around and threw a kunai in Neji's direction.

"Déjà vu, huh?" she said with a smirk. Neji pulled the kuani from the tree and descended to the ground. "Except this time I'm not going to ask if you were spying on me."

"Why didn't you tell me that you had returned?"

"I just came back this morning," Katana said, examining her swords. "I just got back from a meeting with the Hokage, and I came here."

Neji nodded subtly and looked her over. "You're different."

"What do you mean?" She looked up at him over her sword blade.

"Your chakra has changed. I couldn't recognize it when I entered. You look different too. But I'm not sure what it is exactly… I believe it's just the cloak."

"Well, of course my chakra has changed. The dragons had to extract nearly all of it so my body could replicate the correct chakra. I'm sure it's still slightly altered, but the amount of chakra I have is what probably confused you. I've hardly had any of my real chakra for over two weeks, but now my stores have returned because my keirakukei is healed. And the dragons made me wear the cloak. It's not my preference to wear black. It's my favorite color, but it reminds me too much of my family." She unhooked the gold clasp and pulled it off of her shoulders, but her appearance was still slightly altered in some way.

"So you're healed and everything is back to normal?"

"Yes, but the dragons tend to dote on me far too much. I would have returned in half the time, but they wanted to make sure I was stronger than before so I wouldn't have to resort to them in the way I did. They taught me a few new jutsu and had to be assured that I was able to easily control chakra again. I've never been so strong before."

"We'll see about that," Neji said with a subtle smirk. He lowered into a Jyuuken stance.

"You want to spar with me?"

"Yes. I need a challenge after practicing with Tenten for the time you were gone."

Katana raised an eyebrow, but realized that he was complimenting her. He thought of her as a challenge. She mirrored his smirk and tightened her grip on her swords. "I accept."

She didn't wait and sprung forward. Neji drew a kunai and met one of her swords as it swung for his side, giving him time to dodge the other. She spun into him swiftly, driving her elbow into his ribs. She placed one leg behind his and pulled her foot forward, catching the back of his knee, sending him off balance. Neji tucked into a roll and rose in front of her, retaliating quickly before she could evaluate the situation.

He thrust his palms into her stomach, making her stagger backwards. He refrained from using chakra, knowing it was training and not a death fight like their first spar. Neji swept her feet out from under her, Katana landing on her back before quickly springing up again. She swung her swords, but Neji blocked one with his kunai and grabbed her other wrist. He twisted her arm and she dropped her sword, quickly spinning to dislodge his grasp. She sprang backwards and drew another sword, leaving only one in her sheath, and Neji picked up the one that had fallen.

"Do you honestly think that you stand a chance against me in swordplay?" Katana questioned haughtily with a quirked eyebrow.

"We'll see," Neji said quietly. He darted forward, Katana's sword raised ready, and she easily ducked his swing. She easily evaded is attacks, predicting his movements the instant he began to execute them. He swung the blade over his head and she caught it by crossing her own. They stood closely adjacent to one another, Katana's arms raised above her head and her gaze upward and focused on his eyes. Their faces were only several inches apart.

"I see I don't have much of a chance with a sword, do I?" Neji questioned with another subtle smirk.

"Your movements are too exaggerated," Katana murmured. "You need to be more direct and don't question yourself."

"More direct?" Neji asked, an expression Katana couldn't identify on his face. She quickly brushed it off.

"Yes. Direct. Like this."

She leaped back and dropped her arms. Without the previous resistance, Neji was put slightly off balance and Katana jump-flipped over his head. She landed a solid back kick to the middle of his shoulder blades and bolted to be in front of him. She crossed her arms and rammed them into his chest, her momentum making him fall backward onto the ground. But Katana lost her balance as well and fell forward, releasing her swords and landing on top his chest. Neji stared up at her and Katana felt her cheeks turn red.

"That's quite direct," he said with mock humor.

"I-I-I d-d-didn't m-mean to—," Katana stammered, trying and failing to get a hold of herself. She tried to avert her gaze, but was lock by his eyes, eyes she hadn't seen in over a week that had seemed to last an eternity.

"You can get off now."

"Right, s-s-sorry," Katana stumbled. She pulled herself away and rose to her feet, clearing her throat awkwardly and looking anywhere but at him. "Should we continue?"

"If you would like. Just don't be _so_ direct. I see it can have its unintentional affects as well."

"Yeah," Katana mumbled, feeling her cheeks grow hotter. She detected a flicker of motion out of the corner of her eye and she moved her arm to block the palm thrust aimed for her shoulder.

Neji drove her back, moving her away from where her swords had been dropped onto the ground. She back peddled as she blocked his attacks, soon feeling the rough bark of a tree against her back. She ducked at the next palm thrust, hearing Neji's hand strike the bark. She sprang away and dove for one of her swords, gripping a hilt and rolling over swiftly to block Neji's kunai. He stood over her, white eyes intense as he watched her arms tremble slightly with the force of trying to fend off his weapon.

"Maybe you shouldn't be so direct either."

"At least I can keep on my feet." Neji mocked. Katana's face burned red again and she quickly wrapped her foot around his ankle, bringing him down to the ground next to her.

"You were saying?"

"Hn."

They both rose to their feet and Katana collected her swords, holding two in a ready stance. Neji made the first move again, and this time Katana could tell he meant business. His strikes were ruthlessly consecutive, and Katana had to rely on her instincts and reflexes to avoid getting pummeled. His combinations and speed were nearly inhuman and Katana knew she wouldn't be able to dodge forever. She lifted her swords in front of her face, making Neji alter his direction to avoid the sharp edges.

Given just enough time, Katana made a single hand seal and a shadow clone burst from a cloud of smoke. Neji leaped backwards as the clone struck forward, allowing the real Katana to weave hand seals. Neji hastily struck the clone with a chakra-powered kick, making dissipate the way it had appeared, but felt tendrils of earth begin to coil around his feet. Katana crouched with her palms on the ground, the Doton growing in strength with every bit of her chakra that she used. Neji tried to free himself in vain and Katana pulled her hands away once the earth had risen to his knees.

"Doesn't this bring back memories?"

"Hn. You're not going to try and kill me this time, are you?"

"I don't think you would let me."

"You're correct. Hakke: Kuushou!"

Katana gave a cry of surprise as the gust of air struck her in the chest, sending her flying backwards. Neji released chakra from his feet, breaking the earth restricting him and heard Katana fall to the ground with a thud.

"Heh. I thought you would do something like that," she muttered. She pulled herself to her feet and wove several hand seals that Neji recognized. "Katon! Gokakyu no Jutsu: Fireball Technique!" Katana exhaled an enormous tongue of flame, and Neji reacted by instinct.

"Kuushou!"

The air and the fire collided, reaching a stalemate until Katana's breath ran out. The ferociously flaming ball of air rushed towards her and she lifted her hands above her head. The fire collected in a circle around her, as it hitting a wall and not touching her. There was a pulse of chakra and the fiery globe exploded, a large wave of chakra-saturated flames sweeping through the clearing. Neji was knocked off his feet and thrown several feet backwards, the wind knocked from his lungs when he landed. Katana became visible, hands still in the air with a transparent red shield encircling her. She dropped her hands to her sides and the shield vanished.

"Impressive barrier ninjutsu," Neji muttered.

"Thank you. It took forever to master. I never thou—," she saw where he had landed and stared in shock. "Are you okay?"

"I will be."

"Oh no. I was hoping that wouldn't happen." She hurried over to him. "When the thing I'm repelling has chakra, it sometimes explodes. I didn't mean to do that."

"Understandably."

"Let me heal you."

"I'm fine. And is it even wise to use your medical ninjutsu? Can you manage it?"

"I told you before, I'm completely healed. And you're not fine. You're bleeding."

Neji glanced over at the shoulder he had landed on and saw a growing blood stain. "It's really nothing."

"I beg to differ. I gave you that wound, so let me heal it." Katana's expression was firm and her jaw was set.

"Fine," Neji grumbled. He felt her hands rest on his shoulder gently, a pale violet glow casting shadows across their faces. "You fight well now."

"As I said, I've never been this strong. My techniques are better than they were and you have no idea how it feels to have your own chakra running through your keirakukei. I can control everything so well now."

"I would like to spar with you more often."

Katana almost broke her concentration and the jutsu nearly slipped. "Why is that?" she questioned in as blank a voice as she could.

"When I fight with Tenten, she usually keeps her distance and throws her weapons. Her style is good if you want to improve defense, but it's much different with you. You have to be close to your opponent to hit them, and when I fight you, I have to focus on you as well as your weapons. Do you follow what I'm saying?"

"Yes, I think so. You mean that Tenten only uses weapons and you have to fight them off to get to her physical form, but I'm always right there. You at least have a chance at seeing what she will throw next and focus your defense. But with me, you can improve both offense and defense. You have to evade my swords and jutsu, but you can also counter attack and retaliate."

"Exactly."

"I'll train with you if you want," Katana murmured, finishing her jutsu and removing her hands. "You've helped me try to get my jutsu back when I was hurt, so it's only fair that I help you." _As if I would ever say 'no' to helping him._

"Thank you, Katana."

"It's no problem at all, Hyuuga. I should go check in with Anko. I may lose a couple limbs and become deaf with her screaming, but she has a right to know that I've come back."

"Of course. Will you meet me here tomorrow sometime in the morning?"

"If I can still walk," Katana said with a smirk. She turned and leaped away, preparing herself to receive the wrath of the Crazy Snake Lady of Konohagakure.

* * *

Two shadows leaped out of the training field seconds after Katana left. They shot through the trees with lightening speed, heading to one of the darkest places in the Village. They arrive at their destination before long: a miniature house-like structure in the middle of two large oak trees. One of the shadows wrapped his knuckles on the door and whispered a few words under his breath. The door creaked open, revealing a tunnel-like passage leading underground. There were no torches until they nearly reached the end of the tunnel, only then could they see where they were headed.

The tunnel forked into three sections and they took the one to the left, racing into the earth swiftly. The path continued to fork and they finally came to a door that seemed to be made of pure ebony. They were allowed entry by a large man, his head bowed to avoid hitting the ceiling of the tunnel. The shadows approach two men sitting at a desk, both wearing long black coats with a disproportional yin-yang sign on the back. One's face was patterned with erratic marks.

"Why have you come?" Shunan snapped at the two as they approached him warily.

"We have news of her, sir," one replied.

"Speak quickly so we can address the situation promptly."

"She was in a training field with a Hyuuga, sir," the other said, giving his partner a nervous glance. "They were sparring, but they seemed close. _Very_ close. She healed a wound he has sustained, and they made plans to spend more time together."

"And prior to that, she had fallen on top of him and made no movement to get up at first. She blushed quite brightly, but its clear that she has some feelings for him."

"This is absurd," Tenma snarled, the markings on his face writhing and crawling over his skin. "How can she have feelings for a Hyuuga? How can she forget what they did to her? _How_?" The markings thrashed and began to shimmer a deep blue.

"Calm yourself, Tenma," Shuhan scolded. "If she has forgotten, we just have to make her remember." He waited for his son to calm and the markings to stop moving. Tenma looked at Shuhan with confusion, but then understood.

"You mean to send _him_ after her?"

"Precisely. She'll remember what it was like, remember as clearly as if she were reliving her memory."

* * *

Author Note: I didn't plan for this chapter to be so long, but, as I've said before, this story tends to write itself sometimes. I'm just the thing that touches the keyboard. Anyway, not much to say, and I'm going to try to update ASAP 'cause I already know what's going to happen next. I'd like to shout out SHeWithNoName (I hope the capital letters are right). Your reviews always make me laugh; the one or two words just make me chuckle. Last chapter's review was your longest I think and I made me smile. Anyway, thanks to everyone reading a reviewing and I own nuttin, just the OCs 'n' such. From last chapter, Yume=dream cause I forgot to say it. I think there was something else I had to say, but I can't remember... anyway, I'm off to batting practice (ugh), so Peace out.


	27. Chapter 26: All That I'm Living For

Chapter 26: All That I'm Living For

Katana walked through the Village, the streets just beginning to acquire their busy bustling crowds. She kept to the back roads, knowing her ruffled appearance would attract more attention then she would have liked. She had been training with Neji since sunrise and felt utterly drained of everything. He was strong, she couldn't deny that, and every moment kept her on her toes. Katana was thankful for her high endurance and knew she would have inevitably blacked out without it. Neji could fight forever it seemed, but he understood that she wasn't as accustom to the rigorous training he was. Katana had promised that she would last longer next time, even though he had assured her that she had done well considering it was her first time fighting him for such an extended period of time.

The sun was just reaching its high point in the sky when Katana entered the Konohagakure Hot Springs. She didn't want any lactic acid to build up in her muscles, and decided that the springs would be a treat; she had only been there once with Anko when she was younger. It was utterly empty at the current time of day, something Katana was relieved at, and she wasted no time in entering the hot waters. She plunged her head beneath the surface, but the steaming waters were nothing compared to some of the fiery blasts her dragons had trained her with.

Returning to the surface, Katana examined several scars on her arms that hadn't faded in the least since they were first healed. Several more decorated her back, she didn't need to see them to know that they were there, and the one on her stomach was just as vivid as ever. Each scar had a story, told a tale of a battle or scuffle with someone or something. Some were stories she proudly told, displaying the scar that proved the battle with a haughty air. But other stories were ones she wished to forget, but she only had to glimpse the scar to be reminded.

Walking into the deeper waters, Katana stopped when the water reached her collarbones. She sighed and closed her eyes, swishing the water around with her hands under the water. Katana had the urge to just stay there for several hours, thinking about nothing and only listening to the trickle of the small waterfall in one corner. But as she began to fall into a trance that would put her out of commission for several hours, the door to the spring opened, admitting two girls.

"Oh, I thought we would be the only ones here."

Katana opened her eyes at the somewhat familiar voice and knew she would no longer be able to have peace. Sakura and Ino stood in the doorway and Katana refrained from rolling her eyes. Ino seemed to shrug off the fact that Katana was there and began to quietly converse with Sakura. Katana had no intention of listening to them, but Ino's loud, gossiping mouth was impossible to ignore.

"And then he said… and then she said… so he said… then she slapped him and said…" Katana didn't try to stop from rolling her eyes this time and moved as far away from the others as she could. But Ino's chatter carried through the whole bath area. None of her secrets would ever be safe if she always talked so loud.

"Any how did you find this out?" Sakura questioned, clearly intrigued by what Ino had to say.

"My friend's sister's boyfriend's cousin's uncle was in the restaurant when it happened," Ino said in complete seriousness. Katana scoffed from where she was by the waterfall, Ino's head snapping in her direction. "What's so funny, Sword-girl?"

"Nothing, nothing at all," Katana said calmly, not bothering to look the blonde's way. Ino threw her a reproachful glare, but turned back to Sakura.

"So, like I was saying…" she continued as if there had been no interruption. Ino babbled on about several boys in the Village that she was crushing on and a few stalkers she had. Sakura contributed little, Ino always cutting across her whenever she tried to give her point of a situation. Ino rambled and rattled, but paused when she caught a flicker of motion out of the corner of her eye.

Katana had risen halfway out of the water to reach a soap dish lying just out of her reach. Ino saw a flash of color at the base of her spine on the lower end of the small of her back. It was a yin-yang symbol between two red bat-like dragon wings. Ino stared in shock for a moment before Katana sunk back down into the water.

"Hey, Ino. Are you okay?" Sakura questioned, following Ino's gaze, but didn't see what she was looking at. "What happened to the guy after she bitch slapped him?"

"Oh," Ino said, coming out of her trance. "Right. Well, after she hit him, he…"

Katana glanced back at the chuunin, knowing that the pause couldn't have been just for effect. She was growing more and more annoyed with Ino's incessant gossip and quickly finished her time in the hot spring. Reaching for her towel at the edge of the spring, Katana wrapped it around herself and began to walk toward the changing rooms. But she paused as Ino's voice shrieked something about Anko that Katana knew wasn't true.

"Excuse me, but may I be frank?" Katana questioned, turned back towards the chuunin. Ino looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "It isn't very polite to say things about people you don't know very well. Tapping into their lives is none of your business. And all your talk of boys is sickening. You're a shinobi. Focus on your duties." Katana spun around and heard Ino mutter something under her breath. "Do you want to run that by me again?"

"I said 'at least I don't have a tramp stamp'," Ino snapped.

Katana's hand flew to the small of her back over the yin-yang symbol with the dragon wings. "It's _not_ a tramp stamp. It's a chakra seal. It's to make sure I stay in control of my own chakra and any other alien chakra that is forced into me."

"Yeah, yeah, sure," Ino muttered.

"Don't think I'm lying," Katana snarled. "This isn't a tattoo."

"Of course. That's as much a tattoo as my hair is dyed."

Sakura clapped her hand over Ino's mouth. "I believe you, Katana. It would have different coloring if it were just a tattoo. I can sense it as a seal."

Katana ignored Sakura's comment and walked into the changing rooms. She pulled on her usual clothes quickly, angered that the dragons had placed the seal on her lower back. She would have preferred it to be in the middle of her shoulders, but the dragon specializing in sealing had always had a sense of humor. The seal had been the reason that Neji couldn't recognize her chakra the previous day, the subtle power it gave off masking the true essence of her chakra. She had avoided telling him, fearing the reaction she had gotten from Ino.

She could hear Ino and Sakura preparing to leave and Katana left promptly, only hoping that the girls wouldn't find it amusing to spread rumors about her.

* * *

Katana rested on the futon in Anko's spare room, staring up at the ceiling. She was fully clothed, but had no intention of falling asleep. Her mind was spinning with the thought that something bad was going to happen and she didn't want to sleep for fear of becoming vulnerable. She looked out the window above the futon and sighed, the stars twinkling dimly through a thin cloud cover. Knowing that the premonition wasn't going to disappear on its own, Katana rose to her feet and walked out of the apartment.

The streets were dead and dark, making it seem like she was the only person in the world. Katana paused as she walked absently to one of the training fields. It seemed irrational to be outside, practically looking for the dangers she sensed, but Katana knew she would feel worse if she didn't find out what made her feel the way she did. Continuing her pace, Katana walked into the training field and entered the small grove of trees, examining the leafy canopy they created. She stopped in the middle of trees and stared at the sky, the wind gently ruffling the few strands of hair that had escaped her bun. But there were scents on the breeze that didn't belong to the plants. Katana ducked as something jumped over her head and landed in front of her. She drew two of her swords and stared at the tall man as he turned to face her.

"Never miss a beat, do you?" the man mocked. "At least your reaction time has improved."

"So they sent you this time, Oboe," Katana growled coldly. "You think that your powers can stop me?"

"I don't plan to stop you," Oboe said calmly, his brown eyes shimmering in the moonlight. "I plan to make you want to come back to us. I plan to make you remember what you've seem to forgotten."

"You have to come in contact with your opponent for your jutsu to work," Katana hissed. "You'll never catch me."

"I don't have to."

Katana stared at Oboe and spun around, her sword clashing with the kunai blade of another opponent. "Not you too!"

"What's the matter, 'Tana-chan?" the other man whined sardonically. "I didn't think that you would give me such a cold welcome."

"Why would you expect anything else, Hyouketsu?" Katana snapped. "You always expected the opposite of what would happen. I see you haven't changed."

"Maybe, maybe not, but I can tell you that I've gotten stronger." Hyouketsu exchanged a grin with Oboe. "You won't stand a chance against us."

"Try me."

Katana smashed her foot into Hyouketsu's shin and ran for Oboe. He evaded her swords and swiped at her with his hand, reaching to grab her anywhere he could grasp. Katana stepped back and felt something wrap around her arm, seeing Hyouketsu out of the corner of her eye. She continued her motion back and swung the arm in his clutches, twisting her arm at the last moment to jar his grip and make him crash into Oboe. Katana lifted her swords and ran toward them, ready to finish the battle smoothly. It was the fastest battle she had had with the family. Or so she thought.

Katana moved to drive her swords through them, but felt her muscles and joint freeze just before her swords fell. As if her bones had turned to lead and her veins were filled with liquid nitrogen, her body wouldn't move and she couldn't will it into motion. She stared as Hyouketsu and Oboe as they calmly separated themselves, Hyouketsu's hands clasped in a seal. He let out a mocking laugh and Oboe smirked maliciously.

"You see," Oboe called mockingly. "I don't need to catch you as long as I have Hyouketsu to make you immobile."

"No," Katana whispered, feeling her hands loosen their grip and her swords fell to the ground. "How did you stop me?"

"I'd tell you to look, but that wouldn't work," Hyouketsu snickered. "When I grabbed your arm, I left a seal tag on your sleeve. That's all I need to issue my chakra and stop you from moving."

_But the seal I have should prevent this from happening, _Katana thought in anger as Oboe began to approach her. _No, it's because of our chakra. Hyouketsu has the same chakra as me, so the seal isn't able to determine his from mine._ She saw Hyouketsu weave several seals and she felt herself move against her will. She was backing up until her back rested against one of the trees, trapped even if she was able to move. Oboe continued to approach with his eyes closed, weaving seals and muttering under his breath. He stopped in front of her and opened his eyes, the brown now an icy blue.

"The more you struggle, the more pain it will cause," we warned coldly, lifting his hands that had acquired a blue glow. Katana's eyes widened and she struggled in vain to move away. But Oboe pressed his hands to her forehead and her vision distorted. "Remember, Katana. Remember what was done."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

_Katana opened her eyes and looked around at the torch lit hallways, slowly turning in a circle to examine her surroundings. The place was more familiar to her than any other building in Konohagakure, but it was the place she despised the most in the world. The dark earthen walls absorbed the torchlight, making the area seem smaller and sinister than it should have been, but the darkness was fitting. The plans and experiments that were formed and conducted within the earth in this area would give Orochimaru ideas he had never fathomed. _

_Katana heard footsteps and looked to one of the tunnels that she knew led out to the surface. A young girl became visible in the torchlight and Katana gasped. It was her, twelve years old and dressed in an over-sized Anbu uniform. Katana stepped up to herself, but the younger was oblivious to her presence. She walked toward the branched hallways and took the one to the left._

_'Wait, stop,' Katana called, but her voice didn't seem to carry and only echoed around her. 'Don't go that way. Leave and turn around. Go to Anko. They're going to—'_

_'Don't bother calling out,' Oboe's voice echoed around her. He materialized next to her, a mocking smirk on his face. 'Your voice can't reach yourself in your memories. You're invisible to yourself and you can do nothing to change what will come. All you can do is watch. Now come.' Oboe waved with his hand and Katana felt herself move forward. Not in control of her body, Katana was forced to follow herself down the hallways, Oboe moving her along._

_Katana watched herself walk silently down the passages, her short ponytail bobbing at the base of her neck. She had always worn her hair short when she was young, only letting it grow out once she was on her four-year mission. The Anbu uniform she wore was the smallest they had had, but the clothes swamped her small form and she was doing her best not to trip over her pants. It was almost humorous, but what was to come made the situation morbid. _

_Katana felt her chest begin to tighten as she was forced to walk the halls, her breathing growing shallow with fear. Her younger self plodded on, ignorant to what was about to occur. The incident that would change her life was drawing closer and closer, and Katana had only one wish in the world: she wanted to warn herself. She extended her hand, but it was forced back to her side by Oboe, the man grinning at her discomfort. _

_"Shall I continue?" he questioned mockingly. "Has your memory returned?" Katana didn't respond, only watching as they neared the room that she had once called her own, a room she had hoped never to return to. "It seems you have no objection, so let's go on."_

_Katana opened her mouth to protest, but her jaw closed shut involuntarily and she couldn't make a sound. She walked on and saw herself stop in front of the door to her room, the younger twisting the door handle and entering. Katana was forced to follow and stood behind herself, looking at the large group standing adjacent to her. _

_'Ashi-nii-san,' her younger self said quietly in a questioning voice. Her brother stood at the front of the group, his steely brown eyes holding mockery. His face was unmarked and his name hadn't been changed. 'What are you doing here?'_

_'I need to teach you a lesson, 'Tana-imoutosan,' he said sinisterly. 'It must be done, so please don't hate me. Although I highly doubt that will be possible.' Ashi lifted his hand and Genkaku stepped up, weaving hand seals. _

_'Genkaku? What are you doing, Itoko?'_

_Katana watched as her younger self staggered backwards as the genjutsu struck her. She reached out, but Oboe held up his hand, stopping her movements and forcing her to only watch. Katana's vision suddenly warped and she knew she was in the genjutsu as well. It was her memory and she had to experience it the way she remembered. _

_The ground wrapped around the ankles of her younger self and her cousins drew kunai, jabbing her whenever she tried to break the genjutsu, making her lose her concentration. Not even the pain could make the illusion falter. Genkaku wove more seals and Katana heard the door open behind her. A shiver crawled up her spine and she saw a person step around to face her. Katana locked his pale eyes, his sandy brown hair pulled into a ponytail. He stepped up to her younger self, a seductive smirk on his ivory-skinned face. _

_'Hello, Katana-chan,' he whispered and she felt her breath catch in her throat. 'Don't be afraid. Not yet, at least.'_

_'What's going on?' her younger self squeaked. 'Why is a Hyuuga here?'_

_'You don't want me to be here?' he questioned quietly, his voice low and sounding almost hurt. 'I thought you cared for us.' The Hyuuga reached forward and cupped her cheek with one hand. She inhaled, feeling a pressure on her skin, even though it was her younger self being touched. The Hyuuga brought his face close to her younger self and Katana felt herself begin to shake. _

_'No, this can't be happening. I can't be feeling this,' Katana whispered to herself, but Oboe laughed mockingly. _

_'Don't be so sure,' he growled._

_Katana watched herself resist, pushing the Hyuuga away, and she remembered that it was the catalyst. It was the catalyst that set everything into motion. The Hyuuga grabbed her oversized Anbu vest and ripped it off her torso, a cry of surprise rising from her younger self's throat. He grabbed her face with both hands and roughly kissed her, Katana shuddering with repulsion as she felt the sensation for the second time. She was frozen in place, unable to breath or move, completely controlled by others. _

_'Do you remember now?' Oboe whispered with sadistic amusement. 'Remember the feeling, remember the humiliation, remember the shame of ever having had feelings for one of them. They are monsters; you know this. The one you have feelings for now is no different; he will do the same thing to you soon enough.' The Hyuuga ripped open the long sleeve shirt her younger self wore and pushed her down onto the floor._

_'NOOOOO!' Katana and her younger self screamed in unison, but their cries fell on deaf ears. 'Stop it, Oboe! STOP! Please! Let me g—!' Her mouth was shut and Katana could only stare and experience, forced to relive her darkest fears and there was nothing she could do about it. _

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Neji raced through the Village toward the training field, feeling the familiar chakra flare waver and spike, the disturbance unnatural. He sprang into the clearing and skidded to a halt, catching the attention of the two shinobi standing under the trees. Katana was against a tree, one of the shinobi had his hands on her forehead and her expression was one of horror. Her eyes were a shimmering, swirling blue, same as the shinobi with his hands against her.

"Release her!" Neji commanded, preparing himself for a battle.

"What are the odds of a Hyuuga coming to save her?" Hyouketsu questioned with a chuckle. "This is just too humorous."

"We'll see who's laughing after I'm through with you," Neji growled and sprang forward. He bolted toward Katana and struck at the man holding her against the tree. He jumped away and released his hold on Katana. Her eyes flickered back to brown and she inhaled sharply, eyes wide and frightened. She was still frozen and Neji turned to the other shinobi.

Hyouketsu leaped away from Neji, nimble as a weasel. But Neji's pursuit had disrupted his jutsu and Katana was regaining mobility in her limbs. She sunk to the ground, staring blankly at the grass, her chest heaving as she breathed heavily. Neji saw Oboe approach Katana again and he shot after him, eyes flashing coldly. Oboe swiftly grabbed Katana's forehead and his hand burned red for a moment, Katana jerking and giving a gasp of pain. Neji slammed his palm into Oboe's back, the chakra shooting through him. He forced the man away from Katana and aimed his next strike at his heart. Oboe gave a clipped grunt and fell to the ground, dead.

"NO!" Hyouketsu cried, staring as his partner was killed. His face contorted with anger and he picked up one of Katana's swords that had fallen to the ground. He ran towards her, preparing to run her through. She lifted her head and knew there would be no time for her to dodge.

But just before the sword stabbed her, it hit something else. Katana's eyes widened as Neji took the blade for her, the sword running him through. He hissed and bowed his head, Hyouketsu giving a noise of surprise. Neji sunk to his knees, doubling over the blade in his stomach. Katana felt herself move involuntarily and she had Hyouketsu's neck in her hands before she could blink. The next second, she had twisted his neck and snapped it two. He crumpled to the ground, his head lolling grotesquely at an angle.

Katana turned and dropped to the ground next to Neji. "Why did you do that?" she snarled in a tear-choked voice. "Why did you take the sword for me?"

"I don't know," Neji whispered, coughing up blood. "It was instinct. I didn't even realize I was doing it." He fell forward and she caught him, laying him on the ground.

"It's your turn to trust me, Hyuuga," Katana said, wiping the welling tears out of her eyes. She ripped his shirt open, seeing blood gushing from his wound. "Please trust me." Katana gripped her sword and removed it from his stomach, quickly weaving hand seals. She set them over the wound, focusing on the inside first. Neji's eyes were closed and his brow was furrowed, jaw set to fight off the pain.

"Katana?"

"Don't speak," she snapped. "You're going to be okay. You will." She gritted her teeth and put more chakra into her jutsu. She could feel the flesh begin to knit together beneath her hand, the blood no longer gushing. Neji opened his eyes and Katana removed her hands, sighing heavily. He tried to sit up and she placed a hand on his chest, firmly pushing him down. "Don't move yet." She slid her hand down his torso to the wound she had healed, carefully examining the newly knitted flesh.

"Are you okay?"

She didn't look at him but raised eyebrow. "Don't worry about me. Worry about yourself."

"But your clan."

"They mean nothing," Katana snapped, feeling her anger grow. She saw both Hyouketsu and Oboe disintegrate out of the corner of her eye. "I don't think there will be any permanent damage. You should be okay. I healed it soon enough so nothing could progress. You can sit up now."

Nej carefully sat up, but felt no pain where he had been stabbed. "Your medical ninjutsu has improved. Thank you."

"It's no problem. I feel so bad that you get hurt so much because of me. It's like I'm a magnet for danger to you." She looked up from the ground and struggled to keep her eyes on his face. His shirt was open from when she had ripped it, exposing his muscular torso. "Why were you here?"

"I was on a mission and came back not long ago. I was passing by and sensed your chakra and decided to investigate."

"It's a good thing you did," Katana whispered. She looked up into his eyes and her vision flickered for a moment. When it cleared, Katana gave a horrified gasp.

"Katana? What's wrong?"

She recoiled and leaped to her feet, backing away and shaking her head. Neji rose to his feet and approached her. But it wasn't Neji she was seeing. It was the other Hyuuga, the Hyuuga from the memory she had just endured. He came closer to her and she backed away, her breathing becoming shallow with fear once again

"Don't come any closer," she whispered. "Please, just don't."

"Katana, it's me. What're you doing?"

"NO! Why? Why is this happening?" Katana looked down at Oboe's ashes and remembered that he had touched her forehead with a red light around his hand. Even in death, he was still torturing her.

"Katana," Neji whispered, reaching and touching her shoulder. "Look at me. Let me help you."

"NO! NO! NO!" Katana shoved his hand away and tore off into the night, leaving Neji alone in the training field once again.

Katana ran as fast as she could, tears pouring down her face. She could have run forever, and didn't stop until she returned to Anko's apartment, slamming her door and throwing herself onto the futon. _Why does it hurt so much? Am I supposed to feel like this? Where are the words to make me better? All that I'm living for haunts me so terribly; my ghosts just keep getting closer and closer. Why does it hurt so much to love him? _Katana fell asleep sobbing, her nightmares of only one topic: Neji turning into the other Hyuuga and mocking her coldly: "You can't ignore it, all that you're dying for is me. And I'll never love you back."

* * *

Author Note: Two chapters in one day! Woot! I'll do translations first: Oboe=memory, Hyouketsu=freeze, verdict (he could paralyze people and he was the reason that Oboe's jutsu could be successful. He "decided" if the battle would be won or lost, or determined the verdict, get it?), nii-san= older brother (but I think everyone knows that), imoutosan= younger sister, itoko=cousin. I think that's it. So, I wanted to get into the incident without having to make this rated M... I hope it worked... and my mind isn't completely in the gutter... not yet at least. Anyway, on to reviews: thank you everyone!!!! I hope this answers questions and such. And I wanted to ask a question. I've drawn a lot of pictures about his fic, but I have no idea how to get them on the internet. If someone could PM me how to do it, I would be more than happy to post them somewhere to give people a visual. Your help would be appreciated. So, I own nuttin, just the usual. And if you listen to All That I'm Living For by Evanescence, it really goes with the chapter. And it's a really good song to boot =D Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	28. Chapter 27: Breakdown

Chapter 27: Breakdown

"Katana?"

Her head snapped toward her door and her scalp prickled as the door opened. Anko stood in the doorway, scanning the room until she found the younger kunoichi.

"What are you doing in the corner?" Anko said, her voice woven with amusement, but once examining the expression on Katana's face, she knew there was nothing to laugh at. Katana's sweater was marked with several blood splatters and her eyes were red and swollen as if she had been crying. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Katana stared at Anko for a moment, then buried her face against her knees and burst into uncharacteristic sobs. She curled into a tighter ball, hugging her knees to her chest and leaning against the walls behind her. She felt Anko kneel down next to her and rest a hand on her shoulder. "I don't want to be here anymore."

"What are you talking about? What happened to you?"

"I don't want to endure this pain anymore. I want to die, Anko."

"Katana! Don't say things like that! What's going on with you?"

"They attacked me last night. My family… They made Oboe show me what that other Hyuuga did to me again… I relived it as if it happened a second time. _I can't live after going through that twice!"_ Katana shuddered and tightened her grip around her knees. "And after that, Oboe did something to me. I don't know what, but I only saw the other Hyuuga when I looked into _his _eyes. I can't face him anymore. _I can't live!_"

Anko grabbed under Katana's arm and bodily lifted her to her feet. She gripped the collar of Katana's shirt and shoved her against the wall, eyes fierce and fiery. "Get a hold of yourself, Katana. Listen to what you're saying! You want to commit suicide just because of a genjutsu?"

"It wasn't a genjutsu!" Katana cried, her tears choking her voice. "It was worse, Anko! I had to go through it again as if it were the first time! And it's different now. Before I was only a little attached to Hyuugas, but this time I'm very close to one. I won't be able to look at him ever again the same way! My mind has been tampered with and I can't deal with it this time. I just give up. I just…" Katana faded into tears, sinking back to the floor when Anko released her collar.

"You really love him, don't you?"

"Yes. I love him more than I've loved anyone else in my life. But I can't. I have to let go of him if I want to keep myself alive. But it shouldn't be too hard. If I see the other Hyuuga every time I look into his eyes, I'll surely hate him."

"Come on, Katana," Anko said, extending her hand. "Let's get you cleaned up and we can face the situation over breakfast. I'll make pancakes. By the way, happy belated birthday."

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Katana felt empty and hollow as she stared up at the sky from where she lay in the grass of the training field. The cumulus clouds hung low in the sky, rain threatening to pour from the heavens and drown the unfortunate souls that remained outside. But Katana wouldn't mind getting swept away by the water; maybe the next life would hold a better fate for her than this one. She closed her eyes and sighed heavily, hardly feeling better after her talk with Anko. She had planned to dispel some of her anger by training, but upon arriving at the training field, she had collapsed and didn't bother to get up.

Katana drew a kunai from her leg holster and lifted it to her eye level. The cold steel didn't glint with the malicious glimmer present in sunlight, the clouds draining all power and energy from the world. She rolled over and lay on her stomach, holding the kunai in front of her face. She pulled down the sleeve of her opposite hand, exposing her pale wrist. How easy it would be. Just a little pressure, a swift cut, and everything would be okay. She would be gone if she died, only a scattered pile of ashes serving as a reminder that she ever walked the earth. It would be as if she never existed; her ashes would blow away and only Anko would wonder where she might have run away to.

Katana stared at her kunai but set in down on the ground and pulled her sleeve back up. _This is exactly what they wanted to stop me from doing. My family knew I would go insane if I experienced too much pain. They know I would be destroyed. This is exactly what Oboe was talking about: he would make me want to return. If I went back to my clan, all of this would go away. I wouldn't have to worry about being a shinobi, and all I would need to do is obey ever command my father issued. But do I really want that? What's the better situation: death or being a brainwashed drone?_

Katana shook her head and pushed herself to her knees. She tossed her kunai into a tree and ran a hand over her face. She found it hard to believe that she was actually thinking of suicide. _This has to be a side effect of what Oboe did. I'm seventeen now and I shouldn't be so distressed because of a memory…_ Katana felt a dark shadow pass over her mind and she looked up at the kunai imbedded in the tree. _Now I know something's wrong. Why can't I fight this?_

_**Because you don't want to. You secretly wish for death. You always have and you always will.**_

Katana jerked where she knelt, clutching her skull. The alien thoughts plagued her mind; swamping her thoughts the way a cuckoo bird overtakes another bird's nest.

_**After the first incident with the Hyuuga, you've always wanted a good reason to kill yourself. Now you have that reason, so complete the goal you've always wanted to accomplish.**_

The voice in her head was her own, but the thoughts weren't. As if she had an inner self that had been possessed by a monster, Katana felt a pressure begin to grow in her head, suffocating her mind and stifling her senses. _What is this?_

_**I am what you've always wanted. I am your vice, I am your sins. I am the one to try to obliterate and ignore. I am you; you that wants death, you that wanted what the other Hyuuga did to you, you who wanted to kill Neji Hyuuga when you first met him. I am the demon of your thoughts, finally free now that you realize what you need to do. You need to leave this world. You need to give up. You know you can't fight in this eternity any longer. Now retrieve that kunai and finish what you began.**_

Katana felt her legs shudder and the pressure in her skull grew. _Go away. I don't know who you are or what you want, but this is my body and my mind that you're in. You can't make me—_

_**Can't make you what? I can make you do anything because it is you who actually wants to do it. What do you have to live for? Who will remember you after you're gone? You can't resist me. **_

Katana looked wildly around, searching for anything to stop the creature attacking her thoughts. Her eyes fell on the kunai in the tree and she felt the pressure bear down on her mind, threatening to smash her consciousness into oblivion.

_**You know what can stop me. But if you do want to live, I have a proposition for you. Return to your clan and I will be subdued. If not, then I will have no choice but to force you to kill yourself.**_

_So you were woken by Oboe,_ Katana concluded. _He made you come to the surface just in case I didn't come of my own free will. I won't surrender to you. You can't control me._

_**So be it. If that is what you think, you have forced me to act. I can do nothing else. **_

The pressure from Katana's skull vanished and she breathed heavily, setting her hands on the ground in exhaustion. She closed her eyes and sighed with relief that the creature had disappeared. She looked up at the kunai in the tree and her entire body exploded with pain. She cried out and collapsed, thrashing in the grass as the pressure crushed her, eyes tightly shut. Suffocated by the alien presence in her body, Katana couldn't draw in breath or move on her will.

_**THIS IS WHAT I MUST DO! YOU WILL OBEY! **_

Katana shuddered and felt herself rise to her feet. She took several steps forward before she could open her eyes. _NO! STOP! I WON'T!_

_**YOU WILL!**_

Katana walked toward the tree with staggering steps, her body awkward in the hands of the alien presence. Her hand spasmodically lifted to the handle of the kunai and she clasped it with trembling fingers. She wrenched the weapon from the bark and swayed with the force of the movement, barely getting her balance. She stood on shaking legs, slowly lifting the kunai to her chest.

_STOP! WHY WOULD YOU KILL ME? TAKE ME TO MY CLAN IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT!_

Katana's limbs froze and the pressure seemed to shrink slightly, as if the creature was pondering her offer. But it was only a moment before the pressure returned more forceful than before.

_**FOOLISH GIRL! I WILL NOT BE BARGAINED WITH! YOU ARE IN MY CONTROL! YOUR TIME IS OVER!**_

Katana reared her hand back, the blade poised over her heart. She snapped her eyes shut and gritted her teeth, preparing for the creature to make her kill herself. But she suddenly felt the pressure vanish and she crumpled to the ground, dropping the kunai and landing heavily in the grass.

"Are you alright?"

Katana froze and resisted the urge to look behind her to the voice. "Hyuuga?"

"Yes, Katana. What are you doing?"

Katana felt her chest constrict with fear. The voice had belonged to one Hyuuga at the first sentence, but the second sentence had been spoken in the voice of another Hyuuga. Shivering in terror, Katana forced herself to keep her eyes forward. Even the chakra flare had altered, changing at the exact time as the voice as if the person had morphed into someone else.

"Why won't you look at me?" his voiced questioned quietly. Katana heard his footsteps approach her, padding quietly on the grass, getting closer and closer until stopping right behind her.

"I don't want to look at you."

He was silent for a moment. "Is it because of what happened last night? Why did you have such a drastic change of emotion so suddenly? What did your clan do to you?" Katana was silent and shakily rose to her feet, brushing stray grass from her clothes, keeping her back to him. "What happened yesterday?"

"It doesn't matter. Just leave."

"Leave?"

"Yes, leave. Go away and let me be alone."

"What's happened to you? Why are you acting this way?"

"Why would you care?"

"Katana." She flinched at the voice, a shiver crawling up her spine. It was defiantly the voice of the other Hyuuga and he stood right behind her. But his words were those of the Hyuuga she had feelings for, the one that possibly truly wanted to know why she was pushing him away. "Katana, please tell me what happened."

She felt a hand rest on her shoulder gently, but it suddenly clamped down like a vise. Katana whirled around and pushed his hand away, looking up into his eyes and gasping in fear. The other Hyuuga stood only several inches away, his expression mocking and cold. She backed away, finding it difficult to breathe. She shook her head as she had the night before, feeling her limbs begin to shake.

"Katana? What's wrong?" The other Hyuuga stepped toward her and she backed away further until her back hit a tree. "Why are you resisting me?"

"Stay back," Katana growled breathily, her chest heaving as she tried not to hyperventilate with fear. "I'm warning you. Don't come any closer."

The other Hyuuga stopped in front of her within arms reach. "Katana, tell me what happened. Why did you run away after you healed me?"

"I didn't heal _you_," Katana snapped, gritting her teeth and making her breath his as it passed out of her mouth. "Back away now or I won't hesitate to attack."

"What do you mean you didn't heal me? What are you talking about?" The other Hyuuga set his hands on Katana's shoulders, their eyes locking.

"NO!" Katana cried. Her vision warped and flickered, flashing between reality and the memory she had experienced the previous night. "GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME!" Katana brought her hands down on the bend of the Hyuuga's elbows, making his arms bend suddenly. She spun around and back kicked him in the chest, allowing her to get away from the tree. She watched him regain his balance and her head throbbed with pressure again.

_**Kill him, Katana. Murder the one who did you wrong. End the pain that you have been enduring for so long. Make him suffer for what he did.**_

_That's what you wanted all along. You went away because he came. Now you want me to kill him. Your original mission was to make me kill him._

Katana clutched her head as the pressure grew. If the creature decided to take her over, she would have no choice but to kill the Hyuuga. She looked up at him and growled, her fear being replaced with rage. She drew a sword and readied her stance, seeing his face flicker with surprise. Katana felt the pressure swell and her body shuddered, her joints and bones feeling stiff as if she was trapped by Hyouketsu's jutsu again. Her body began moving on its own again and she knew there was nothing she could do to fight the creature controlling her.

Neji activated his Byakugan as Katana came at him. Her chakra was swirling and writhing in a disorderly fashion, signifying that she was under the influence of a genjutsu. Her movements were awkward and jerky, similar to the way a puppet moves when the puppeteer is inexperienced and pulling the strings erratically. He drew a kunai and deflected her sword with a sideswipe, nearly sending her to the ground. She stumbled and nearly collapsed, but suddenly swung at him, her movements reminding him of Lee's when he was using the Drunken Fists.

_Her movements are too erratic_, Neji thought as she attacked him recklessly and persistently. _I can't predict her movements at all. _

Katana drew another sword and sprang forward, face contorted in snarling anger. Her combinations were violent and aggressive, combining taijutsu with different sword strokes. Neji relied on pure reflex to be able to evade her attacks, but she was slowly gaining the upper hand. She wasn't tiring and Neji noticed that she was getting faster. She whipped her swords through the air as if to cleave his skull open, but then she rolled on the ground and stabbed at his ankles.

Neji was finding it difficult to keep up with her and he had a feeling that she sensed it. Katana leaped back and wove hand seals, spitting an enormous tongue of flame in his direction. Neji used his rotation and the flames dispelled, but he was met with a more difficult challenge once he came to a stop. Katana and two doppelgangers were charging at him from three directions.

Katana jumped into the air at the last moment and let her doppelgangers attack as she clambered into one of the trees above. She perched on one of the branches, ready to act once there was an opening. One doppelganger was destroyed, but the other succeeded in what it was created to do. Neji was dragged to the ground before he could destroy it, but Katana leaped upon him from above before he could get up. She reared her sword back, eyes burning with hatred and anger.

_**DO IT, KATANA! KILL HIM!**_

"STOP, KATANA!"

She froze and looked up, sword still raised. Someone burst from the trees and crashed into Katana, wrenching her off Neji, sending her sword flying, and pinning her to the ground.

"Riki? What are you doing? Get off of me!"

Riki made a single hand seal. "Kai: Release!" He pressed his hands to Katana's forehead and she gasped, eyes widening. She fell limp, breathing heavily, and Riki pulled his hands away, staring down at her. She looked up at him blankly for a moment, then she came to her senses.

"Get off me," she growled again, pushing Riki off as he stood up. She rolled over onto her hands and knees and looked up at Neji. She blinked in surprise, her breath caught in her throat. "It was you."

Neji sat up and stared at her with an unreadable expression. "You tried to kill me. You really wanted to kill me this time."

"Wait, Hyuuga. It wasn't you. You weren't the one I was trying to attack."

"What are you talking about? I was the only one here. There was no one else you could attack."

"You don't understand. Let me explain."

"I gave you a chance to explain," Neji snapped, rising to his feet. "When I came here I asked you what was wrong. You wanted me to leave, then you attacked me. It's clear that you don't want me around anymore."

"No, that's not it," Katana cried. "I would never hurt you. You have to believe me. I wasn't myself. Something was controlling me. Please, Hyuuga. Please believe me!"

"I don't know what to believe with you anymore. You save my life and then you try to end it. You were quite solid in your previous wish, so I will leave you alone. I don't need any explanation. Your message was clear."

"Hyuuga, wait! Please!"

But Neji turned and bolted away, leaving Katana alone with Riki. She stared in the direction where he had disappeared, her expression pained and sorrowful. Riki knelt next to her as she bowed her head.

"Katana? Are you okay?"

"No, Riki. I'm not." She looked over at him and he set a hand on her shoulder. "One of my family members must have put a lasting genjutsu on me and I didn't even realize it. Every time I looked at him, I only saw the other Hyuuga. My family must have also implanted something into me as well and it was taking control of me. It wanted me to kill him. I don't know why, Riki. Now he thinks that I wanted to kill him. I didn't want to, Riki. I had no control of myself."

Riki rose to his feet and assisted her to hers. He wrapped his arms around her gently and she didn't resist. "At least you're back now. I'm relieved that I got here in time before you did kill him."

Katana pulled away slightly and looked up at him. "Why did you intervene? If I had killed him, then you could have…"

"I talked with Neji while you were with the dragons, and he made me realize something. The man you decide to be with has to be someone who can protect you. I'm not suitable for that role. The only person that I'm confident will be able to protect you is Neji. I love you, Katana, but I don't deserve you."

"But now Hyuuga hates me." Katana cast her eyes down and felt Riki's arms tighten around her. "It doesn't matter if he can protect me if he won't listen to me or hear my explanation."

"I should have gotten here sooner," Riki murmured. "I could have stopped your fight before it progressed so far."

"Why are you blaming yourself?"

"I just want you to be happy, Katana. Take it all out on me if you want. Break me down if it will make you feel better. Hate me, hurt me; I don't care as long as you're happy."

"Stop it, Riki," Katana hissed, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face into his chest. "When you say things like that, I can't help but wonder if I can trust you. I don't know what to do anymore." There was silence for several minutes and a low rumble of thunder sounded in the distance.

"Do you want me to walk you home? I think it's going to rain."

"Sure. That would be nice."

"Don't worry, Katana," Riki whispered as they exited the training field. "Everything will be alright. I just know it will be. Things can change and nothing is set. Just try not to get caught up in the troubles life throws at you. There's more than likely a light at the end of the tunnel."

Katana plodded next to Riki and leaned against him, only able to hope that his words were right. He was so much more than what met the eye.

* * *

Author Note: wow... this really wasn't one of my better chapters... Sorry guys, I've had a rough day (bad day at softball where I got ousted off varsity, nagging parents, and mountains of homework that I have yet to finish... 'nuff said). I wanted to get out one chapter this weekend because I won't have any other time to write. So this was a little dark but I wanted to show how much of an effect that the incident had on Katana. The "creature" in her thoughts was part of the genjutsu and was dispelled when Riki ended the illusion. And Katana's birthday was during the time when she was with the dragons FYI... I just wanted to add that in there. Anyway... I own nothing, just the OCs 'n' such. Thank you all for the reviews, they make my bad days (like today) much better. Happy Mother's Day. Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	29. Chapter 28: Breathe Today

Chapter 28: Breathe Today

"We have to get out of here!"

There were only five left from the original three platoons and survival chances were as good as none. The commander watched his men die, knowing that all hope was lost even if they did escape; seven of his men had been killed and his punishment for planning foolishly would be severe. He called his men to retreat again, but they couldn't respond, being too engaged in their deadlocks. One shinobi got distracted and turned his head to the commander, only to be slashed to the ground under his opponent's kunai.

The commander set his teeth and drew a kunai, preparing to meet his fate alongside his men in the heat of battle. He charged at one of the opposing shinobi with the sole purpose to kill as many of them as his could before he himself fell. The commander reared his arm back, ready to die, when an explosion of flame threw him back in the opposite direction. He skidded across the ground, stopping only once his back slammed into a tree, and nearly lost consciousness. The commander watched the world around him grow fuzzy until there was a gentle pressure on his chest, followed by a warm sensation. He focused his vision with difficultly until he felt himself heal completely.

"Do you have any more injuries?" the brown-eyed girl asked quietly, her scarred face pale in the moonlight.

"Am I dead? Are you an angel?"

The girl gave a humorless laugh. "I'm no messenger of God. I can assure you that. I highly doubt angels have scars. But you're not dead. The status of your men is a different story, to say the least. The remaining four besides yourself are in no life threatening danger, and it seems you have stabilized as well."

The commander sat up, examining his surroundings. The opponents were dead on the ground among his men, the remaining four staring at the girl kneeling at his side. He turned his eyes to her. "You saved us. Who are you?"

"My name is Katana Suterusu. I was sent as your backup after the distress call you sent out. If seems I arrived too late, but just in time to save some of you."

The commander rose to his feet and glanced at Katana. She stood solidly, her face expressionless, yet had an underlying tone that could hardly be detected. The commander had seen a similar expression on several girls her age, the face of someone who had endured unbearable pain and suffering, yet did their best to forget it and move on. But the pain could never be forgotten and lingered beneath the surface of her features like a grey shadow cast over freshly fallen snow.

"I thank you, Katana Suterusu," the commander said with a bowed head.

"I don't need your gratitude. Just report to the Hokage; I'm sure she will want to hear of this incident. Now, I must go. I have another mission to accomplish."

Katana turned without another word and leaped away into the trees, leaving the commander and his remaining platoon to deal with their morbid predicament.

* * *

Katana silently crept through the dark hallways, relying on the flickering light of the dim candles to guide her way. The mission report had said that they would lead the way, yet the branching corridors were difficult to follow in the half-darkness. The occasional chakra flare ignited her attention, but she strode past every unsuspecting guard, invisible to their eyes. The only thing they possibly saw was a wavering shadow before a sword was buried between their eyes.

Katana slunk on, scanning the blueprint she had been given in search of where the document she was sent to acquire was located. Every path looked the same, every landmark a similar bust or suit of armor. Daimyo mansions were some of the most difficult buildings to navigate in the dark. Katana knew there was one thing that would make the mission tenfolds easier, but she shoved the thought out of her mind, needing all her attention to be focused on the situation at hand.

Moving as inaudibly as a shadow, Katana strode on, examining the map and her surroundings as best she could to gain some idea as to where she was. The candles stretched down the main corridor until branching off in another direction, but the fork in the road proved a greater challenge than Katana would have first thought. She felt her skin tingle gently as she neared the split and she paused, knowing there was a chakra barrier in one of the branches.

Katana was unsure whether or not she would be detected. Normal chakra sensing techniques couldn't detect her, but she had never attempted to penetrate any barriers before. The seal on her back could possibly trip the barrier if her own chakra didn't, and the barrier could be a simple motion-sensing trap triggered by any movement through it. Katana deactivated her kekkei genkai and dimmed her chakra flare as much as she could before stepping through the barrier. Nothing initial happened until she took a step forward.

An ear-piercing keening split the air and Katana felt her muscles lock and she sunk to the ground. Footsteps were heard running to her location from the above floors, different corridors, and from below. Katana struggled to move her hands, slowly clasping them together as the chakra flares from the guards approached faster and faster. She heard doors squeal open on rusty hinges as guards flocked to the tripped chakra barrier, and Katana grit her teeth as she fought her locked muscles and finally formed the Sign of the Tiger.

"Kai: Release!" Katana hissed, falling forward as the tension on her body disappeared. She wove several more seals and reactivated her kekkei genkai, becoming invisible just as the guards rounded a corner and appeared in front of the chakra barrier. One waved his hand in the air and the keening stopped, everything becoming silent after the previous cacophony of the alarm.

"Where's the intruder?" one guard asked, looking wildly around. "If you're barrier failed again or set off another false alarm, I'm going to personally skin you alive, Kanmon."

"Hey, don't accuse me," the guard who had deactivated the barrier, Kanmon, snapped. "I've been spending a lot of time on this jutsu. I know I perfected it. It should have immobilized the person who walked through it. I don't know what's going on."

"I can't believe we've been called to attention by another one of your mistakes," the first guard said with a sigh of annoyance. "Is there any possible way that the person who tripped it could have escaped?"

"Only someone with a strong will and the ability to release a genjutsu under harsh physical strain could accomplish it. I've never met a normal shinobi that could to that."

Katana slowly rose to her feet and drew one of her swords, carefully approaching the group of guards that had collected. She circled behind them, choosing one on the outside of the group to be her first victim. She slashed his back open across his shoulders, raising a loud cry of pain from his throat. The other guards looked at him in shock, one kneeling over his fallen comrade. Katana ran him through and he fell on top of the first.

"What's going on?" Kanmon cried, watching as Katana cut down four more of the group. "What's doing this?"

"How are we supposed to know?" another guard growled. "Something's attacking us, but I can't see—" He was silenced as his throat split open and a fountain of ruby blood poured down the front of his body. Katana made short work of the rest of the group, leaving only Kanmon as the last one standing. He looked around at his fallen comrades, spinning in circles as he tried not to turn his back on his invisible attacker.

"You said you had never seen a shinobi that could withstand the affects of your barrier genjutsu," Katana whispered. She stepped up to Kanmon, slowly releasing her kekkei genkai so she gradually became visible. "I believe it's high time you met someone who could."

"Who are you?" Kanmon gasped as Katana allowed her chakra cloak to completely dissipate and she thrust her sword up to his neck.

"I'm not your normal shinobi, and that's all you need to know," Katana retorted fiercely, driving her sword through Kanmon's neck. She whipped several blood splatters from her face and turned to the corridor she had been attempting to traverse. She had changed, it was evident, and Katana only hoped that it was for the better.

* * *

"Well done. That was completed faster than I thought."

Katana nodded to Tsunade, resting the document she was sent to retrieve and her mission report on the large desk.

"Yes, it is very simple to complete a mission when I am the only one assigned to the task. Although there is one person that could have benefited me, it was easy enough to complete by myself. I actually prefer taking on missions alone; I can think clearly and don't have anyone to hold me back."

"Good rationalization, but teamwork is essential to a shinobi," Tsunade said in a firm voice. "You would do well to remember that."

"I do work on teams, but only if the mission calls for it," Katana retorted. "Now, if there is no other assignment for me, I would like to be dismissed. I have something to do."

"You have no assignment as of now, but expect one in the near future so don't get to comfortable."

"Very well. Thank you."

Katana turned and departed swiftly, heading toward one of the farthest training fields from the center of the Village, hoping to be able to clear her mind.

* * *

"You have a mission for me?" Neji inquired, standing before the Hokage in her office.

"Yes, I will give you the details when your teammate gets here," she responded from behind a piece of paper she was thoroughly examining.

"I was told it was urgent."

"It is urgent. But I would prefer to only have to explain myself once."

Neji chose not to argue with Tsunade's laziness and stood silently in front of her until the door behind him opened. He glanced at his teammate and his eyes narrowed. He hadn't seen her in over a week, yet the memory of what she almost did to him burned fresh in his mind.

"Reporting for the mission, Hokage-sama," Katana said slightly out of breath.

"Alright, now that you're both here—"

"My apologies for interrupting," Neji said, his voice cold, "but I refuse to accept a mission if my teammate is Katana Suterusu."

Katana stiffened and stared at him in surprised shock. He had used her name as if she wasn't standing there, and his face was completely composed. He was serious.

"What are you talking about? I feel like it's the first time I put you two together on a mission. What could possibly make you refuse?"

"The safety of one of us would be in danger, I speculate, and the only choice would be to attack for defense. If both of us depart on a mission, I strongly believe that only one of us will return."

"You're joking," Katana said, her expression of shock not wavering.

"I assure you I'm not," Neji responded in an icy tone, not bothering to look at her. "I request to either be taken off the mission or assigned a different teammate."

"How can you say that, Hyuuga?" Katana hissed. "How can you be so selfish?"

"Selfish? You're one to talk," he growled coldly, giving her the slightest of glances. "At least I don't try to kill the people I have been receiving help from."

"What's going on?" Tsunade snapped, standing up from her desk and slamming her hands onto the top, nearly cracking it in two. "You two worked so well together, and suddenly you choose not to like each other? Is there something I should know about?"

Katana threw Neji a look, silently pleading him not to say anything about her family. He remained quiet for a moment before speaking carefully. "It is my belief that Katana is questioning where her loyalties lie. She should be kept under watch, in my opinion. I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt." He spat out the last words as if they tasted bitter.

"If you would just have listened to me," Katana whispered so that only Neji could hear her, "you wouldn't think the way you do now."

"You two are the most suitable people for this mission, and if you don't tell me what the problem is, I'm going to force you to go on this mission. And by force, I mean one-way trip to your destination via one of my drop kicks. And Neji, you're claims of Katana are entirely irrational compared to what I have seen from her lately. I'm very surprised that you are acting this way. It's very unlike you."

Neji gave his signature "hn" and looked away defiantly, unfamiliar with the feeling of being wrong or having his claims being called irrational. "Fine, I'll go on this mission if you believe I am wrong," he said bitterly. "What are the details?"

Tsunade rolled her eyes at Neji's pride and scanned the paper she had previously been looking at. "Scouts say that there has been an attack on a small village about fifty kilometers away. The attackers were suspicious and I want you two to check things out. Report anything and examine the condition of the villagers. I chose you, Katana, because there was a lengthy description of this village in your report from the mission you were on for four years."

Katana took the map held out to her and a chill crawled up her spine. The village was familiar, but she hoped that it wasn't the one she initially thought it was. Neji took the mission scroll and turned toward the door, hardly beckoning her to follow before he departed the office, leaving Tsunade to shake her head and roll her eyes.

_There's defiantly something going on between those two. And I really need to find out what._

* * *

They ran at an equal pace, neither in front of the other. Neji caught her looking at him several times, but she didn't bother to look quickly away. She held his gaze each time for a moment before turning to look back forward. The silence stretched worlds between them; the connection that they might have previously had was fraying and nearly severed. The only thing that kept them together was the one unsaid explanation that Katana didn't know how to begin and that Neji didn't want to hear.

They covered a tremendous distance by the time night came, and the silence remained unbroken. They slept on opposites of the clearing, keeping as far away as possible from each other and Katana felt suffocated by his actions even as she denied that she still felt anything for him. Turning away, Katana rested her fingertips on her choker, mind racing about whether she should try to mend the situation or continue to deny that she could possibly still like him.

The next morning brought no clarity, the answer to the predicament as difficult as ever. They continued their silence and quickly set off toward the village again, half of the distance already behind them. They day wore on and Katana was trying her hardest to perfect her explanation, but the words wouldn't come to begin what she wanted to say. The day was more than half over when they stopped to examine the map, and Katana finally cracked the silence.

"We can arrive at the village by nightfall if we continue at the pace we have been moving at."

"Good," Neji replied curtly. "I want to finish this mission as quickly as possible."

Katana looked up at him and he turned away, preparing to leap off into the trees again. "Wait, Hyuuga," Katana said, making him pause and glance over his shoulder at her. "I need to talk to you."

"We don't have time."

"Yes we do, Hyuuga. Your ignorance of the situation is making everything so difficult. I need to clear this up; I need to stop these lies swirling around us."

"What ignorance? What lies? I know exactly what is going on."

"No you don't. Please, just listen to me."

"I don't want to listen to you or your explanations. I don't need you to endanger me any more than you already have."

Katana's expression slowly melted into one of anger and she ran toward Neji. He lowered into a Jyuuken stance, but Katana swiftly shot behind him, stopped her momentum with one foot, and pushed off the ground. She took Neji out at the knees, sending them both crashing into the forest floor, and Katana recovered quickly. She pounced on top of him, straddling his stomach and grabbing the neckline of his shirt in both hands. She pulled his collar, lifting his face closer to hers and she locked his gaze, glaring harshly into his white eyes.

"You give me no choice, Hyuuga," Katana snarled, tightening her grip on his shirt. "I…" Katana froze as she felt his hand rest on her stomach just below her ribcage. "What are you doing?"

"If you don't get off of me, I won't hesitate to force my chakra into you. You will be crippled if I attack, so get off while you still can."

"You think I'm afraid? The way you're acting hurts me more than any of your physical attacks ever will. Do you know how much it hurts to see you turn away from me? I want to tell you what happened, but you won't let me. Why, Hyuuga? Why?"

"My reasons are none of your business," Neji retorted. "Now stand up so we can continue and complete this mission."

"You don't get it do you?" Katana said with a shake of her head. "Do you know what it's like to have the people who care about you turn away? Do you know what it's like to be cast aside by the person who was the only person you consider to be a true friend? Do you know what its like to be hated because of a misunderstanding? Do you know, Hyuuga? Because I certainly do."

Neji stared up at her and she angrily shook him by his collar. He couldn't respond, only then realizing that the person she was talking about was him.

"Do you want to know what my family did to me that night? They made me endure my worst memory again. For the second time, I had to see that other Hyuuga attack me. _I almost got raped a second time!_" Katana turned her head away for a moment, breathing heavily as if fighting back tears. "You stopped them only just in time, but every time I looked at you, I only saw the other Hyuuga. I wanted to believe it was you, but I could only see the other. It was as if he was actually there in front of me, and everything you said was in his voice, every touch was his. I couldn't fight it off; I wanted to kill him. Something took control of me and I couldn't stop it. I was in a genjutsu, but I didn't know at the time."

"Katana, I—"

"You have to believe me, Hyuuga. I would never hurt you. Never." Katana closed her eyes tightly in an attempt to fight back her rising tears. "It wasn't me attacking you and it wasn't you who I was attacking. I just want everything to be okay again." Katana's grip on his shirt slackened and she finally let him go. Neji removed his hand from below her ribcage and she stood up, walking away. She covered her face with her hands and shuddered. "Oh god, it's happening again. I thought I had gotten over this." She shook her head and strode away toward the edge of the clearing. "The choice to believe me is yours, Hyuuga. Do what you will. I'll be back by morning."

Neji sat up as she ran into the forest, leaving him with his own unspoken explanation and apology. He understood now, but she hadn't given him the chance, the same way he hadn't given her the chance. Neji bowed his head, only wishing that Katana had let him tell her his reason for trying to avoid her, but he knew that she would probably never believe him. He had to believe her first.

* * *

Author Note: And what was Neji's reason? You will find out... LATER!! MUWAHAHAHA *cough* *choke* *sputter* Sorry people, I just love suspense. Kanmon=barrier (no creativity, I know). I had a lot more to this chapter, but I decided to spread it out a little 'cause I have a bunch of jumbled ideas that need to be sorted (sorry ShadowBlossom15, maybe next week). I don't really have much else to say, only that I got a Flyleaf album and I love it (*hint* title *hint*). I own nuttin, just the OCs 'n' such. Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	30. Chapter 29: How to Save a Life

Chapter 29: How to Save a Life

Neji found Katana sitting at the base of one of the trees in the clearing when he woke up. She was carefully weaving several blades of grass together, intent on her work as the small blades formed a long braided strand. She didn't look up as he approached her, keeping her eyes on the grass even as she finished weaving the strands together. She retrieved the map from her waist pouch, eyes flicking over the surface as Neji patiently waited for her to acknowledge his presence.

"We should get there by midmorning if we leave now," she said quietly. She tucked the map away and adjusted the straps of her back-plate apparatus. "Let's go."

"Wait for a moment," Neji murmured. Katana stopped, but didn't look at him. "Do you want to say anything about last night?"

"Nothing in particular. I want to get to the village soon, so—"

"I do."

"Excuse me?"

"I want to say something," Neji replied, hardly sure of why he wanted to give her his explanation. Katana turned around and stood in front of him, looking up into his eye with something close to pain and sorrow. Neji began to speak, but Katana lifted her hand and placed her index finger against his lips.

"I would prefer if that was forgotten. I'm trying to put something aside in my mind, and it would be much more difficult if certain memories continue to linger within me. So if you want to say something, please wait until I can handle it. At this moment, I'm not in as strong a state as I would like to be. When I'm stronger and a little more like you, then maybe I will hear what you want to say."

Neji took her hand in his and gently removed it from his mouth. "What do mean 'more like me'?"

"You're always a closed door to the outside world. I can only read your emotions when I look deeply into your eyes and hear the inflection of your voice. I used to be like that, but because of recent events, I'm afraid that I've fallen victim to a poison worse than Shinobi's Bane. Once I have built up an immunity the way you have, things will be much easier."

Katana slowly slipped her hand from his grasp and turned away. She beckoned with one hand and leaped into the trees. Neji stared at her for a moment before following her. She was right that she needed to build a tolerance to the emotion she was nearly swamped by, but there was one thing she was wrong about. Neji wasn't as immune as she thought; he was just able to keep the symptoms hidden when he didn't want them to be seen.

-:-:-:-:-:-

The smoke from the fires had long since stopped swirling into the air, but the scent of charred wood and burnt flesh still hung like a thick, smothering blanket foretelling death. Piles of debris cluttered the large area cleared of trees, remnants of the structures that used to populate the spacious clearing. Many of the trees bordering the clearing were burnt or stripped of bark, gaps of leaves missing from the canopy above like a sick animal missing patches of fur. Ashes littered the ground and were disturbed from their restful piles and into the air with every step the two shinobi took. There was no building that had been entirely safe from the attack that had razed most of the village; the largest configuration left standing was a few pieces of timber that once served as a wall, and the framework of a small hut.

"Oh my gosh," Katana whispered as she stared at the scene of devastation. She looked down at the ash-covered ground, seeing no disruptions in the smooth particles, signaling that nothing had moved through the area since it had been demolished. She took several steps forward and broke into a run toward the center of the large clearing.

"Katana, wait! What if the enemy is still here?" Neji followed her at a slower pace, keeping his Byakugan activated.

"I can't believe it," Katana whispered. She stopped at a broken stone circle three feet high. Half of one side had been destroyed and a broken plank of wood stood erect on the unbroken side. "This is the well," she continued in a dazed, dream-like voice. She looked down into the well, the water below cloudy with debris from the battle. Katana turned and ran toward a pile of charred timber lying broken on the ground. "This was where the village meetings were held. And over here," Katana turned and ran to the framework that supported its own weight on rickety spindles of wood, "was where I met my sensei who taught me to summon the dragons."

"What are you talking about?"

"This is the first village I came to on my mission, Hyuuga," Katana whispered. "I remember so clearly. I was still so traumatized by my experience that as soon as I was cleared to leave the Village, I started running. I reached this place in a single day, but collapsed as I entered the clearing. The people of the village were in distress because of a rebel group attacking them. Once I was well enough, I took out the rebel group and the villagers were eternally grateful. I stayed with them a little over a year before moving on with my mission. I had so many experiences in this village, and now it's gone." Katana stared down at the ashes again before sharply turning to Neji. "Use your Byakugan, Hyuuga. Search for survivors, anyone who may have escaped."

"But—"

"Just do it, Hyuuga!"

Neji blinked at her tone of voice and intensified the range of his kekkei genkai. He scanned the area carefully, just barely detecting the flicker of life under a pile of debris in one corner of the village. "There's someone over there," he reported, pointing in the direction.

Katana shot off toward the indicated rubble pile, quickly removing the smaller pieces on top. As she shifted the broken and burned wood segments, a quiet crying rose from somewhere within the rubble, the tears of a small child. Katana shivered; she recognized the sobs coming from somewhere under the wood.

"Hyuuga, help me," she snapped once he arrived next to her. "Get the other side of this plank." With his assistance, Katana uncovered the huddled form of a small child, wailing as it was discovered in its hiding place. It looked up with wide grey eyes shimmering with tears and curled into a tight ball, twisting its small fingering into its shaggy locks of dirty blonde hair.

"GO AWAY!" the child screamed, sobbing loudly. It looked up at the two shinobi and its sobs suddenly stopped as its large eyes fell on Katana. "Kaa-sama?"

"No way. It can't be." Katana stared in shock and crouched down to be level with the child.

"KAA-SAMA!"

The child sprung from the rubble and leaped at Katana, embracing her and burying his face into her shoulder, sobs of joy heaving from his small chest. Katana clutched him to her body, eyes as wide as his had been as he cried into her shoulder. She slowly began to rock back and forth, soothingly hushing him and whispering that everything was fine and that there was no longer anything to be afraid of.

"Kaa-sama, you said you would come back, but you weren't fast enough. Why didn't you come sooner? You promised! Kaa-sama, you said you never break promises. Where were you, Kaa-sama?"

"Things were difficult, Saishou," Katana whispered to the small boy, feeling him wrap his arms more tightly around her neck. "But I'm back now and I can try to fix the problem."

"Katana," Neji murmured from where he stood over her, an uneasy expression on his face. She looked up, carefully making sure not to disturb the child who was just beginning to settle down. "Is he calling you…'Kaa-sama'?"

"Yes, Hyuuga, he is," Katana said quietly, gently stroking the child's hair away from his tear stained face. Neji couldn't seem to pick an emotion to settle on, so he looked entirely bewildered as he stared between Katana and the small boy.

"Oh…" Neji couldn't find anything else to say and Katana fought to hold back a snicker.

"Don't worry, Hyuuga. I'm not really his mother." Neji was visibly relieved. "He couldn't pronounce my name when I first came here and I lived with his family. His mother had died, so he just called me 'Kaa-sama' because I forbid him to call me 'Tana. You should have seen the look on your face, Hyuuga." Katana smirked and held back a laugh, knowing she would never see the expression on Neji's face again in her lifetime. She turned her attention to Saishou, the boy finally ceasing his sobbing and staring at her with swollen, red eyes. "What happened here?"

"We were hurt by bad people," he said sniffling and hiccupping. He rubbed his eyes against his palms, streaking dirt across his face, "They came out of nowhere and hurt us. They put fire on everything and I couldn't get away. I came back to look for Nii-san, but got stuck in the wood. Then you came."

"Is there anyone else left?" Katana asked quietly with a pit in her stomach, wiping dirt off the child's face with the palm of her fingerless glove. "Did anyone else escape?"

"Yeah, a lot of people did. But a lot of people got hurt, too. They all went into the woods to the cave by the lake. I came back to look for Nii-san because I couldn't find him. I was told not to go, but I had to find him, Kaa-sama. I'm scared." Saishou hugged Katana again and renewed his tears. Katana dug in her waist pouch and gave him a soldier pill, knowing he was hungry from being trapped beneath the rubble.

Neji irritable turned his head away from the child, vowing to never have such loud children. But Katana, surprisingly, had strong parental instincts. She swept the child into her arms and stood up, still quietly soothing him and rubbing his back gently. She motioned for Neji to follow her and she began to walk out of the clearing.

"Where are we going?" Neji asked, watching as the child looked at him with a frown and, territorially, tightened his grip around Katana's neck.

"The cave that Saishou spoke of was is a safe-house type of place," Katana said, shifting the child she was carrying. "It was supplied with food and has good protection. If the people went there, all who made it should be okay. That's my only hope." Katana paused and readjusted her hold on Saishou. "You've gotten a lot bigger since I was last here, Saishou. How old are you now?"

"Seven," the boy answered innocently.

"Already? Time goes by so fast. I only knew it was you because of your eyes. You've grown up, haven't you?"

"Yup! I'm a big boy now. Everyone misses you, Kaa-sama, especially Nii-san. He's been waiting for you to come back, and he always says that he can't wait to see you again."

"Is that so?" Katana said quietly, holding back her uneasiness. But Neji detected it in the way that she bit her lip.

"Who is his older brother?"

"Just…a person I became good friends when I was here last. There's the cave." Katana quickly changed the subject as she saw the large lake come into view from between the trees. She picked up pace and Neji walked along beside her, their speed reduced to a brisk walk by Saishou's need to cling to Katana.

There was a large mountain stretching up to the sky from the opposite side of the lake, a large opening several meters above ground signifying the entrance to the aforementioned cave. There was a winding path that led up the side of the mountain to the cave, but Neji and Katana, despite carrying Saishou's weight, were able to climb the mountain with chakra on their feet. This enthralled the boy and he pleadingly asked to do it again, but Katana hushed his wishes with a soothing voice. Neji felt something tighten in his chest as Katana interacted with the child; she moved so naturally and seemed to know exactly what to do to appease the young boy. Neji would have never thought that Katana could be a motherly person, but she was easily proving him wrong.

Katana rested Saishou on the ground and he ran off into the cave, calling loudly into its depth, his high pitch voice echoing off the rock walls. Katana and Neji followed after him, people with torches running out to meet them soon enough. They were accusing and suspicious at first, swinging the torches and holding out knives, but once they saw the scar on Katana's face, they were all rendered silent.

"Katana Suterusu," a middle aged man whispered as he recognized her. "You've finally returned. Finally." He threw down his knife and sunk to his knees. "Thank the stars you've come. You couldn't have picked a better time." The man turned and told another to spread the word that Katana had come.

"Rise to your feet. I need no respect from you. Just tell me what has happened." Katana looked into the cave and heard something similar to a stampede of footsteps coming close.

"We had heard tell of the Stealth Sword of Konohagakure, but we weren't positive that it was you," the man continued. "I see we were wrong to doubt."

"The Stealth Sword of Konohagakure?" Katana echoed, incredulous. "I've been given a title?"

"It seems so," the man said with a grin. "We would expect nothing less from our Katana-sama."

"Please stop calling me that," Katana growled. The people she had heard had arrived and most fell onto their knees while others just stood in shock of her presence. Whispers and murmurs of delight and awe spread like a disease, and the people soon began to approach her. "Alright, people! Enough!" Everything was silent as Katana's voice echoed off the walls. Saishou squeezed through the group and ran up to Katana, hugging one of her legs with a proud grin on his face. Neji was disgusted by the child's actions.

_No respect_, he thought in annoyance.

"See, everybody? I told you she was back!"

"Please, Saishou," Katana said, her voice firm. The child stepped away from her and stood with the rest of the people, the proud look still in his eyes. "Listen up, everyone," Katana said to the collected villagers. "I have seen what was done the village, and it is terrible. I will do what I can to assist you in any way I can, but there is a matter of business that is more important than anything. Are there any wounded or injured that are here?"

"Yes," the man from before answered. "We took as many as we could and brought them with us. They are in a different part of the cave and some of our healers are attending to them."

"That is my first order of business. Anyone who isn't about to die of minor wounds that is here must wait. Show me where the truly injured people are."

Katana motioned for Neji to follow her as the man led her down into the cave. The group of people followed behind her, still in awe that she was in their presence again. The cave branched in several places, burrowing deep into the mountain. Fires and torches supplied light, and Katana ordered the group to disperse at every fork in the tunnel. Neji, Katana, and the man were the last left when they finally reached the area when the injured lay. Katana stepped forward and caught her breath.

The large area was filled with over thirty people, most injured to the point of near death. There were two girls scurrying between them, one clearly in charge of the other. Katana quickly approached one of the girls and grabbed her shoulder. She whirled around in surprise, nearly dropping a role of bandages.

"Who are—?" she began, but her bright blue eyes suddenly widened. "Katana Suterusu?" She gasped and her hand flew to cover her mouth in shock.

"Yeah, yeah, 'can't believe I'm here', 'great to see me', 'great time to come', la-de-fucking-da. Just tell me what the status is."

The girl blinked in surprise, but quickly came to her senses. "I've been trying to help everyone, but it's not working out so well. I—"

"Sorry to cut you short, but there are people dying here," Katana growled. "Whose life is in the most danger?"

The girl looked bewildered and hastily pointed to a man lying near the center of the area. "He got stabbed in the chest and he's nearly lost all his blood."

"Good enough." Katana pulled off her sweater and fingerless gloves, tossing them to the side and walking to the dying man. She knelt by his side and carefully examined the wound, taking in all the damage it had caused. She wove a lengthy pattern of hand seals and covered the wound with both hands, pale violet chakra shimmering brighter than the torches lining the walls. The man groaned and his eyelids flickered, a heavy sigh heaving from his chest as Katana pulled her hands away. She turned to the man and Neji who were still standing at the edge of the area of the injured. "I'm going to need hot water, rags, and bandages. Lots and lots of bandages."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"He dislocated his arm and nearly punctured a main artery in his right leg."

Katana nodded and cleaned away the dried blood from the man's leg. She gripped the kunai still lodged in his thigh and carefully removed it, replacing it with her hand. She healed the deep puncture wound and sighed heavily, exhaustion setting in. Katana quickly wrapped his thigh in a bandage to stabilize the muscles and redirect the blood flow. She wiped sweat from her brow and felt a hand on her shoulder.

"You should take a break, Katana," Neji said quietly, ignoring the wide-eyed gaze of the blue-eyed girl who had been giving Katana the status of each injured person.

"I'm fine, Hyuuga," she responded curtly. "There are only a few more, and if I wait, I some of them could die."

"But you could die if you overexert yourself."

Katana looked up into Neji's pale eyes, one of his eyebrows raised as if daring her to oppose him. She did dare. Katana retrieved a solider pill and slipped it into her mouth. "I'm fine, Hyuuga. I won't over do it. I know my limits."

"Hn. You have a tendency to stretch your limits, I notice." He placed a bucket of steaming water at her side. "Just be careful."

"Thank you," she said quietly, her gratitude for getting the water and for his concern. Katana walked to an injured woman, kneeling on the ground and began to heal a gash on her forearm. The wounds were getting let and let severe, the worst over with and only the slightly wounded left. Katana turned to the blue-eyed girl, noticing that she was staring at her vibrantly glowing hands. "What's your name?"

"Who me? Amaya Ikazuchi," she responded with a sheepish grin. She had chocolate brown hair that fell to just past her shoulders and bangs covering her right eye. She wore black pants and a deep purple v-neck shirt over a long sleeved blue fishnet shirt. "I was the healer for the village because I used to be a ninja, but I'm nowhere near as good as you."

"You used to be a ninja? Why are you here?"

"I was kidnapped on a mission about five years ago. My mother was a medic, so I knew a little medical ninjutsu. I escaped my kidnappers and headed back toward the Village, but stumbled on these people and they needed my help. I haven't been able to leave since then, but now that I have an 'apprentice'," Amaya pointed to the girl who had been helping her previously, "I'm planning to head back to Village soon. I remember when you came here before. I had wanted to meet you, but I was so busy trying to improve my skills that I didn't have time."

"Interesting," Katana muttered. She got up and walked over to another person, quickly healing them. "Is that the last of them?"

"I think so. You did really well."

"Thanks, but you told me what to do."

"Please, you did the healing. I'm just glad I met you." Amaya gave a large, cheesy grin when loud voices began calling out from the tunnel. "Uh oh, that doesn't sound good."

"Katana!" the man from before came sprinting into the area, looking shaken and pale. "We just found him. He's going to die soon. You have to help him!" Katana ran to the man's side as several people carried a mangled form into the area of the injured. Katana looked at the face beneath the blood and gasped in horror.

"Sentaku," Katana whispered. It was Saishou's older brother, the one that had been waiting to see her. He had been the one to comfort Katana in her traumatized state, the one to stabilize her after her incident. He had cared for her deeply. And he had his chest split open.

Katana quickly initiated her justu once he was rested on the ground, pressing her glowing hands into his open chest, beginning by healing his punctured lung. It was a miracle that he was still alive. She moved to his ribcage, carefully mending where the bones had snapped and piecing fragments together. He was hardly breathing and she feared that he would drown in his own blood, quickly telling Amaya to raise his head above his torso. Katana shivered as she felt his warm blood spurt onto her hands, her attempts to heal him completely failing.

"Please, Sen," she whispered as his life ebbed away between her fingers. "Don't go yet. You are still needed in this world." Katana slipped another soldier pill into her mouth, her chakra flaring around her hands. She slowly mended the thick muscles in his chest, covering the bones as it was supposed to be. She carefully reconnected everything and finally mended his flesh together, leaving nothing but a long, pale scar. Katana exhaled and sat back, breathing heavily. She looked up at the shocked group around her, their astonished faces evident that they had never seen a person healed from the inside out. The feat was great, but Katana didn't care. She had saved him. Sentaku's breath was quiet and drawn out, but it was stable. He would survive.

"All he needs is some rest," she said quietly, feeling her head spin. She stood up shakily, watching the room spin before two strong arms caught her.

"That's what you need as well," Neji's voice murmured into her ear. He led her away from the group into a different part of the cave and Katana was half asleep as she walked. She knew that Neji was the only thing keeping her on her feet as she walked to a small section in the cave provided for her to sleep. She sunk into the mass of blankets and fell asleep immediately, ignorant to the fact that Neji sat quietly next to her as she slept, watching over her exhausted body like her personal guardian.

* * *

The flickering of torchlight roused Katana from her dreamless sleep and she looked up while blinking rapidly. Finally clearing her vision, she stared up at the figure above her. He wore a long, ground-length robe, a hood shadowing his face so only his chin was visible. Katana instantly sat up and reached for one of her swords, but the figure back peddled rapidly, holding up its hands as if to surrender.

"Please, I mean you no harm," the figure said softly, the tremor of its voice suggesting that it was a young, pre-teenage boy. It wasn't tall in the least, only a little over four and a half feet, and it slowly crouched down next to Katana. "I can't believe it's actually you, 'Tana."

"Don't call me that," Katana snarled, tightening her grip on her sheathed sword, prepared to draw it. "Who are you?"

"I don't expect you to recognize me," the figure said. "You wouldn't even know my name. But it's me 'Tana." The figure lowered his hood and the torchlight flickered over his soft features, and Katana gasped in shock.

His hair was shaggy and stuck up at odd angles and random intervals, a few shades lighter than Katana's. His eyes were large and doleful, yet filled with sorrow and pain beyond his years. And they were piercing brown.

"It can't be," Katana whispered. "You're supposed to be dead!"

"I'm sorry 'Tana," the boy said weakly, looking pained by her words. "I wanted to tell you, but I was sworn to secrecy. But I'm like you, I escaped and now I'm free from our family." He reached out and touched her scar, his young eyes closing as a tear rolled down his cheek. "They never should have done that to you."

"Back away!" Katana snarled, shoving him harshly and rising to her feet. The young boy staggered back and fell to his knees, looking pleadingly up at her.

"Please, 'Tana! You don't understand!"

"No! I don't believe it's you!" She ran toward the tunnel and skidded to a halt as Neji appeared at the entrance to where she had been sleeping. She wrapped her arms around him, crumpling into his chest, nearly choking on tears.

"Katana? What's wrong? Who is that?"

"He's my… otoutosan."

* * *

Author Note: Okay, ended with a Sasuke/Itachi scene... not intended. Let me do translations: kaa-sama=mother, Saishou=smallest, nii-san=older brother, Amaya=night rain, Ikazuchi=thunder, Sentaku=choice(you'll find out why later heh heh), otoutosan=younger brother. Okay, whew! I had been planning this chapter for a while and sorta condensed a lot of ideas into one. Anyway, I really did a lot of stuff for you ShadowBlossom15 (Amaya, I gave chu a last name, and the new family member), you'd better thank me!!1!. The title was just for the title, nothing really with the song FYI (it was a last minute thing *nervous laugh and clears throat*) To Lady Phantasmagoric- You're right! I completely forgot about that part of the book. Poor Dumbledore *spoiler lol* I haven't read them in so long, but I should since the movie is coming out soon :) So, yeah I own nuttin, just the usual. Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	31. Chapter 30: There For You

Chapter 30: There For You

It was obvious that the boy was related to Katana. His features were more child-like and he was unmarred by scars, but they were indeed brother and sister. Katana struggled to regain her composure, the site of her thought-to-be-dead younger brother having a forceful impact on her. She shuddered and slowly peeled herself away from Neji, turning to stare and the small boy looking at her with sorrow. She took several steps up to him, locking his eyes, eyes exactly like hers, and clenched her hand into a fist.

"How can this happen?" she whispered, her hand shaking slightly from clenching so tightly. "How did you survive? How did you get here of all places?"

"I will tell you, but I don't think he should be here," the boy answered quietly, motioning toward Neji. "You may not want others to know what I'm going to speak of."

Katana looked at Neji, her eyes expressionless, yet the gentle shimmer they gave off in the torchlight told him what she wanted to say. _Please stay with me_, her eyes said. _I don't want to face this by myself._ Neji scrutinized the boy, noticing that he was trembling, but from what he didn't know. The robe he wore seemed to swamp his slight figure as if it were several sizes too large, much of the heavy fabric hanging loosely off of his narrow shoulders. All of members of the Suterusu Clan that Neji had seen had been fierce warriors, threatening and vicious, but the boy was far from evil. He looked far too innocent to share blood with the monstrous shinobi Neji had observed, and yet his eyes were the connection and Katana knew him as her sibling.

"You can stay if you wish, Hyuuga," Katana murmured, turning her gaze back to her brother. "But I will not stop you if you want to leave." She walked up to her brother and sat down in front of where she had pushed him to the ground. They sat in silence for a moment until Katana gained the courage to confront him. "Tell me what your name is."

"Hakuai," he said softly, one of his thin hands twisting the fabric of his robe.

Katana raised one of her eyebrows. "Did you give yourself this name? I highly doubt our father would classify you with such a title."

Hakuai cast his eyes downward, pain evident on his face. "When my training began, it was quickly noticed that I wouldn't make a good fighter. I wasn't aggressive enough and I was too guilty. I didn't like hurting people. Everyone always said, 'he's such a benevolent child, he shall never be one of us'. I once found something written by our mother in a diary she used to keep. She knew that, even before I was born, I wasn't going to be like everyone else. She said that she could sense that I would be different. She wrote down that she wanted, more than anything, for my name to be 'Hakuai' because of my nature. So, technically, Mother did give me the name."

Katana nodded, eyes cast down, chin resting on her knuckles with an expression of deep thought. She glanced over at Neji, noting that his expression was blank, but something told her that he was oblivious to the true meaning behind their talk of names. "Our names aren't just something people call us, Hyuuga," she said, drawing his attention away from Hakuai's trembling figure. "In our clan, our names are what defines us and we aren't named lightly. We have to earn and deserve our names, not just any name can be given to any person. Our names are who we are or what we do and we are bound by them, unable to be something different until our names are possibly changed. It's almost a curse, but, it seems, that because Hakuai and I have left the clan's control, we aren't bound by our names as tightly as others."

"It seems that our clans hold some similarities," Neji muttered, casting his eyes away from Katana's. "We are both caged and bound by different laws and jutsu in certain areas."

"If you only knew," Katana and Hakuai said simultaneously, making Katana stare at her brother who seemed to be unfazed. Hakuai looked at Neji, his eyes narrowing slightly as if he were trying to detect some clue or detail that had gone unnoticed but was vital for him to know.

"So, Hakuai, tell me how you got here. How did you escape, or…how did you survive?"

"I'm so sorry I couldn't tell you before. It was because of one of the experiments father had. It was…similar to the one he put you through, 'Tana."

"I said not to call me that!" Katana snarled, startling Hakuai and making him inhale sharply.

He suddenly began coughing, a racking choking that made his entire body spasm. He shuddered, pressing his hand over his mouth as blood leaked from between his fingers. Katana reached his side and rested a hand on his back, but she suddenly pulled it away, her face betraying her shock for a moment. Hakuai's coughing spell finally ceased and he sunk to the ground, resting flat on his stomach with his chest heaving for air.

"What's wrong with you, Hakuai," Katana whispered. "I can feel your spine through your skin." Hakuai picked himself off the ground with difficultly, falling into Katana's arms for support. He shakily removed his robe, his underlying clothes several sizes too big as well, but it wasn't just because he was young.

"This is what happens when one of our family's experiments goes wrong," he said weakly, wiping blood off of his mouth and pulling his shirt over his head. His skin was pulled taut over his ribs, each bone in his torso protruding sharply from his flesh. He had little muscle, only enough to be able to move; he looked like a skeleton from the neck down, his frail body trembling in its dehumanized state.

Katana clapped a hand over her mouth, horror on her face at her brother's body. "Hakuai, what did they do to you?!"

"You know what they had planning after the Rinji Seibutsu, correct?" Hakuai murmured quietly, slowly pulling his shirt and robe back on. "They wanted to somehow formulate a demonic spirit into a living human, creating a being with all the traits and strength of a Rinji Seibutsu, yet they would be in control of themselves and not only alive when commanded. It's similar to what was done with Jinchuuriki, but with just a normal demon and not a bijuu."

Katana's face paled. "They tried to make you into one?"

"Not exactly," Hakuai said with a shake of his head, looking away and into the flaming torchlight. "They were mainly just trying to find the correct set of seals that would be able to keep a demon restrained, and I was their test subject because I was 'expendable'. Everything was fine for the most part, but after a while, the seals started to weaken me and, eventually, they just began eating away at me rapidly one night. Our father released the seals when I reached the state you see currently, and I've been unable to return to my old self. I can't gain any weight or strength, and I'm stuck a cripple for the rest of my life."

Katana dropped her hand from her mouth pulled her brother into a gentle embrace, fearing that she would break him if she held him too tightly. His thin arms encircled her in return, a sniffle rising from him as he began to cry. Katana had wanted to hate Hakuai when she first saw him, but now she could only feel sympathy. They boy was only twelve years old and he had to live the rest of his life as a figure of skin and bones, always reminded of what was done to him and why he couldn't be anything successful in life.

"I'm so sorry, Hakuai," Katana whispered.

"There's nothing you can do, 'Ta—Nee-san," he replied, catching his words just in time. He sat back at arm's length from his sister, his gaze distant as if he was thinking about a memory or a past experience. "I'm sorry, Nee-san," he said, tearing himself from his thoughts. "I was just thinking about… when we were young. You hated me, but I'm very relieved that you don't hold that grudge against me anymore. I'm wasting away and I just wanted to reconnect with you."

"You can now, Hakuai," Katana said soothingly, using the same tone she had when they first found Saishou. "Is there anything you want to talk about now?"

"I want to know how you actually felt about me," he said softly, looking down at the ground. "Tell me your point of view."

Katana pulled him into her lap, feeling his sharp bones poking her as he nestled against her. She looked up at Neji and a rueful smirk crossed her lips. "If you stay, you are going to hear the story of the four Suterusu siblings. Be warned, for it isn't the most pleasant of tales. I won't tell the whole thing, that would take too long, but I shall tell of what Hakuai wishes to hear." Katana sighed and cast her gaze to the ground. "It must have started when Hakuai was first born…"

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

_Katana felt as if she couldn't breathe. Her chest constricted, feeling clutched and clamped as if a lead weight was slowly pressing down on her in the attempt to suffocate her. She laid spread eagle on top of her bed sheets, unable to move; her body was close to shutting down. She heard the door of her room open, but was unable to see who it was. She saw someone stand over her and felt a sharp object press to the bend of her elbow, the needle injecting a cold liquid into her vein. Katana's body convulsed in a spasm as the icy liquid ran through her system quickly, but the lead weight lifted from her chest and she could breathe again._

_"My apologies, Katana," a man's voice whispered above her. "I had no idea that the poison had progressed this far."_

_Katana weakly panted for breath, staring up at the man with an empty syringe in his hand. "Gaidoku-ojisan," she whispered, struggling to sit up. "I think…I'm okay now."_

_"You should be more careful," Gaidoku muttered, beginning to walk away. "You know how ruthless your father is. If I hadn't convinced him to put a poison with a lesser potency on those kunai, you would be dead right now."_

_"I know, Ojisan," Katana whispered as he departed. She knew that she was an experiment, a lab rat to see how rapidly and successfully a person could move until they collapsed. Katana had been attacked with an infinite number of poison-covered kunai, volleys and rounds of kunai until she had fallen unconscious from overexertion. Katana had been struck with one kunai before she fainted, the poison the cause of her previous misfortune. _

_Carefully creeping to the edge of her bed, Katana sat up and let her legs dangle over the side, staring at the ground and resting a hand on her chest just below her clavicles. The door flew open again suddenly and a man entered, looking as if he had sprinted through the underground tunnels of their clan's living quarters. He was one of the lesser clan members, one of the many superfluous people who were forced to do the every bidding of Shuhan and those who he favored._

_"Katana-sama, my greatest apologies for barging in, but this is urgent," the man said, catching his breath quickly and attempting to look strong in her presence. "Your father wishes to see you immediately."_

_"Do you know what it is about?" Katana questioned, not wanting to be near her father after she had done unfavorably in her most recent test. _

_"He didn't confide in me any details, but it concerns your mother."_

_Katana gasped quietly, instantly following the man through the rock corridors to the meeting room where her father usually discussed matters he wanted to keep confidential. Katana walked as swiftly as she could in her injured state, the antidote for the poison still needing time to take full effect. The twisting corridors were easy to navigate for the two clan members, having walked them their entire lives had gotten them accustomed to the branches and splits. They reached the meeting room and the man bowed deeply to her before departing hastily. Katana smoothed her rumpled clothes the best she could and knocked softly on the wooden doors before entering._

_"You're late, Katana," Shuhan's cold voice murmured in a sinister tone, _

_She suppressed the urge to flinch and stepped up to the large round table positioned in the center of the room. A single candle lit the room, hardly providing sufficient light to see the faces of the others in the room, ghastly shadows painting each of their features. Keikoku and Ashi sat in two chairs facing their father, a third chair unoccupied and waiting for Katana. She seated herself and looked down at the table, not meeting her father's eyes the same way as her siblings had their eyes cast down._

_"May I ask what the status is, Otousan?" Ashi asked quietly. He was the only one of the three of them that could address their father directly without fear of getting punished. He had been fifteen at the time, Keikoku was twelve, and Katana was five, yet they still had a sense of fear, no matter how small, of what their father could do when angered. _

_"I shall tell you," Shuhan said, his voice changing slightly as if he were amused or proud. "You have a brother."_

_Katana blinked and nearly looked up at her father, but her strained breath reminded her to keep her eyes down. She carefully processed the information, thinking things through and keeping her questions to herself. Keikoku was the one to break the silence. It was before it was discovered that she didn't have the kekkei genkai and she was still honored and respected._

_"How is Kaa-sama?"_

_Shuhan didn't reply immediately and Katana's stomach twisted with nervousness, his delay meaning nothing good. "Your mother is dead. She died bringing your brother into the world; giving her life so he could live."_

_The room was silent, the only sound the gentle sizzle as the candle burned away at the wick. Katana could feel the shock and horror radiating from her siblings at the news and she was no less devastated. Her mother had been the only one in the clan that hadn't wanted the violence and brutality, the only one to see reason and hold their father back when he grew angry and wanted blood. She had been there for Katana after each of her vicious training sessions, comforting her and helping her heal. But now she was gone. _

_The next day, when Katana first saw her brother, she could only hold contempt for the newborn, knowing that he had taken away her only hope in surviving the hell that her father put her through. She hated the baby, but she knew that he was the last thing she had to remember her mother. She wouldn't kill him. Not now._

* * *

_They were fighting again and Katana knew she would die if she gave in, but the more she fought, the more openings she left, and the closer Ashi came to slitting her throat open. Katana dove to the side, feeling her brother's blade brush her hip just enough to draw blood. She rolled across the ground, scampering away as she was pursued relentlessly. Whipping around, Katana lifted two of her swords, catching Ashi's blade between her own before it landed in her skull. She sunk to the ground and Ashi thrust his other palm forward, a surge of dark chakra slamming into Katana's chest. She was thrown backwards, hitting the ground hard._

_"ASHI-NII-SAN! PLEASE STOP!" Their youngest brother ran forward and jumped in front of Katana's crumpled figure, crying out to the eldest with tears in his eyes. "Why are you doing this? Why, Nii-san? Why?" _

_"Move aside, Otoutosan!" Ashi snarled. "Katana must pay for her foolishness."_

_"'Tana has done nothing wrong!" the youngest whined. "Stop fighting. Please, stop fighting. You're twenty and she's only ten. You'll kill her!"_

_"Katana must know the danger of letting emotions rule life," Ashi growled coldly, eyes flashing. "If I had wanted to kill her, I would have done so already. No, I'm just punishing her. I want her to suffer and remember what pain will be like if she continues. Now move aside!"_

_"No!" the youngest said solidly, holding his arms out as if to create a barrier between Ashi and Katana. Ashi's brow twitched in anger and Katana thought that he would attack their brother; he had inherited their father's short, fiery temper. But he turned and stormed off, muttering that he wasn't finished under his breath. The youngest turned to Katana and crouched at her side. "Are you okay?"_

_"Don't intervene next time!" Katana snarled, yet her voice held much less contempt than Ashi even if she hated her younger brother more. "These are my battle and I won't get any stronger if a snot-nosed brat keeps getting in my way." Katana roughly pushed him down, rose to her feet shakily, and walked away, hearing her five-year-old brother's child-like sobs echoing through the halls from behind her.

* * *

_

_The fights were everyday and Katana knew she would crack soon. Keikoku had begun to battle with her as well, but the sisters never ended up as wounded as when Katana fought Ashi. Their insults to one another were as harmful as the gashes and bruises they left on the other's flesh, trying to destroy each other in the most terrible way possible. The youngest brother couldn't stop their fights now, and he stopped after Katana nearly shattered his shoulder when he got in-between them. But was soon unable to attempt to stop their quarrels._

_It when he was six years old that the youngest of the Suterusu siblings was supposedly killed. Katana was aware of the experiment her father was conducting, but she never thought that he would use his youngest child as his test subject. But she should have guessed; Shuhan hadn't taken a liking to the youngest brother's caring spirit and gentle nature. It was the easiest and most productive way to dispose of him. Katana had never cared for him, yet she always felt guilty after she turned his kindness away. Her hatred had dwindled but was still reasonably strong, keeping her away from completely accepting the small boy. In the end, Katana was relieved yet broken by her brother's absence: even though she had never shown it, each time he stopped their fights, she was more grateful than she had ever been. _

_And, unbeknownst to her, the worst experiences were still yet to come._

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"That's all that I can tell for now," Katana whispered, stroking Hakuai's messy hair. "So you see, my brother? I did hate you, but I was, somewhere deep inside, glad for your interventions. I've grown now, and I don't hold my hatred anymore. I'm sorry I ever thought like that. It was just…to lose our mother… You never knew her, but she was the reason I had survived all those years before you were born."

"Nee-san," Hakuai whispered, his bony fingers still twisted in the fabric of his robe. "I-I-I'm glad we spoke. But now I have to tell you something." Hakuai shifted in her lap and cast Neji a glance, noting that his expression had hardly changed during Katana's reiteration of the section of their past. He looked back up at Katana before speaking. "After I was reduced to the state I'm in now, I was put under a jutsu similar to our kekkei genkai, but I wasn't creating the chakra cloak. Someone was taken and killed, a seal placed on my back so that their chakra would flow around me and conceal me even after they were dead. I lost all ability to control and generate chakra.

"I was still with the clan and I mostly followed you. I was always there for you, even though you couldn't see me. I was trying to protect you, but I was forbidden to interact with you or Father would have killed me. I wanted to die, but I wanted to meet with you one last time. I remained alive, and once you were attacked by Ashi and the others when you were twelve, I truly had a reason to meet with you. I wanted to talk to you about the incident." Hakuai coughed loudly, but his spell wasn't as violent as it had previously been.

"You seem to have spoken too much today," Katana murmured, kissing the top of is head gently. "You should rest."

"No, Nee-san. I really need to speak to you about it."

"It can wait."

"Nee-san," Hakuai whined, rising to his feet on trembling legs to stare at her. "Please. I—!"

"Katana?"

Katana, Hakuai, and Neji all looked toward the mouth of the room in the cave they had been in and Katana gasped loudly, eyes widening. A tall young man stood just inside the room, looking like an older version of Saishou, sparkling bluish-grey eyes as wide as Katana's. His hair was a light dirty blonde, shaggy and unkempt. He had a rugged handsomeness, thick muscles visible wherever his clothing didn't cover.

"Sentaku," Katana whispered, rising to her feet slowly. "You're okay."

"Katana," he breathed again, then ran to her and engulfed her in a tight embrace. She threw her arms around his neck, feeling him lift her off her feet and spin her in several circles. He set her down gently and held her at arm's length, taking in her appearance. "You're even more beautiful than you were before. I've missed you so much." He pulled her back into his embrace, kissing her forehead and resting his chin on the top of her head. "I'm so glad you're back."

Hakuai watched Sentaku's actions with his sister, slightly uncomfortable at being forgotten. He glanced over and Neji and blinked in surprise. Even though it was evident that the Hyuuga was trying to mask it, one emotion flickered across his face subtly every now and then. Hakuai was the only one to notice the slightest hint of jealousy flash over Neji Hyuuga's face.

* * *

Author Note: wow, I haven't heard from many people this week... bummer. But here's another chap just 'cause I'm nice and don't got on hiatus when I don't get a certain number of reviews. Translations: Hakuai=benevolence, nee-san=older sister, ojisan=uncle, otousan=father. I think that's all. So, I've had a really rough week, but I won't bore everyone. Softball's (finally!!) over and summer is almost here, so I will hopefully be writing more, but his weekend I have at least four school projects to do (please disable me in some way). I fell off my bike today, so I'm hurting too and need some serious medicine to help heals bruises (I learned today that I'm a total klutz, and I learned the hard way). About the chapter: Oh No!! Flashbacks! Now this is a REAL Naruto fanfiction. And I hope Neji wasn't to OOC at the end (that part was for you ShadowBlossom15 XD) Anyway, have a great Memorial Day!! I own nuttin, just the usual. Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	32. Chapter 31: Everybody's Fool

Chapter 31: Everybody's Fool

Hakuai cleared his throat with more force than he should have, but the coughing spell he fell into was what it took to bring Katana's attention back to her brother.

She removed herself from Sentaku's embrace, casting her sibling a concerned glance as he struggled to catch his breath. She approached him slowly, kneeling beside his crippled form as he finally calmed his ravaged respiratory system. Hakuai's eyes held a shadow of bitterness when he returned his gaze to his sister, clearly unpleased that he had only been remembered when his disability began to flare up.

"It seems you were correct, Nee-chan," he wheezed coldly. "I have spoken too much for today. But don't think that you're through with me. We still need to talk about certain matters concerning our clan."

"Understandably, Hakuai," Katana said softly. "I'm sorry if I—"

"Don't apologize," Hakuai muttered in annoyance. "You haven't seen Sentaku in a while and I know you two had a strong relationship before." The younger Suterusu glanced at Neji, but the Hyuuga kept his face expressionless. "I'll give you time to catch up. But don't forget about me, Katana. What we need to discuss is of the direst importance." Hakuai shuffled away out into the passageways of the large cave, his dragging footsteps echoing back to Katana long after he had vanished from sight.

Unsettled by her brother's words, she was brought back to reality as Neji rose to his feet and walked over to her, the expression on his face unreadable. Katana turned to him but quickly glanced at Sentaku as the Hyuuga approached her. The taller boy seemed to bristle like a wild animal, the body language given off when territory is breached. Sentaku cut in front of Neji and he stepped up to her, quickly taking her arm and pulling her toward the passageways that led to the rest of the cave.

"Come on, Katana. I want to…see how you've been." Sentaku didn't wait for a response, but Katana firmly dug her heels into the ground, forcing herself to stop as he tried to pull her along.

"Wait for a moment, Sen," Katana growled; she had never enjoyed other people making her go places she didn't want to go to. "What are you—?"

"Hey!" A loud voice echoed off the stone walls and Amaya quickly pried Sentaku's hand off of Katana's arm. "She's a person, not a dog, Sen. Don't drag her into things she doesn't want to do. Now go tend to your brother; Saishou's been crying all morning because you almost died and you seriously need to calm him down. Half of the villagers want to drive his head through a wall right now to get him to shut up."

Sentaku blinked at Amaya who began to shove him down the tunnel she had come from, but he gripped Katana's hand a final time. "Meet me by the lake tonight, Katana. As your brother said, we need to…catch up." A suggestive smile graced his features and Amaya slapped his shoulder.

"Enough, Sen! Now get over to your brother or he'll soon be missing skull fragments. Hop to it!" Amaya gave him several more guiding shoves to get him motivated to head forward down the passageway and turned to Katana with a sigh. "You can thank me later for saving you from an uncomfortable experience, but right now, we have a bigger issue on our hands."

"And what might that be?" Katana questioned, still attempting to process what Sentaku had said.

"A few of the people you healed have something wrong with them and I can't seem to figure out what it is. I need your help before I get attacked by one of them; their actions are starting to get reckless."

"Right, then show me where to go," Katana answered, but paused before she followed Amaya. "Do you want to come, Hyuuga?"

Neji gave her an icy glare and walked past her out into the passageway. "No I don't want to come with you," he said curtly. Neji strode out into the passageway and disappeared around a bend.

"Sheesh. What's his problem?" Amaya raised an eyebrow in the direction Neji had departed.

"I don't know," Katana murmured. She couldn't fathom a reason for Neji's sudden change in behavior. She thought that she knew him, but Katana realized that many things about the Hyuuga were still a mystery to her. "He can occasionally get like that. Maybe he's just in one of his moods."

"Jeez. He's super hot, but he's super strange." Amaya failed to notice the faint blush that crept up Katana's cheeks. "How does he expect to find his way around in these tunnels by himself?"

"He has the ability to see through walls," Katana answered as Amaya began walking down the passageway in the opposite direction Neji had gone. "He'll find the others and just follow the passages that lead to them."

"Huh, interesting. And here I thought that he was blind." Amaya shook her head. "I sometimes forget how strange the Konohagakure shinobi can be. But who am I to talk, I'm from there too. Anyway, let's go before one of our patients' reckless actions becomes a hazard."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"This is bad."

Katana watched as a man writhed on the ground, scrabbling at his back as if in terrible pain. Five others were in similar condition, but the one man seemed to be worse than the others. The skin on the back of his neck was darker than the rest on his body and his eyes were glazing over. His breathing was strained and wheezing; it was clear he was enduring the effect of an abnormal injury.

"I've tried to help him, but he goes crazy whenever I get too close," Amaya said timidly, standing several steps behind Katana. "He won't answer any questions either. Do you have any way to paralyze him or something?"

"I do have one method," Katana murmured, glancing at the five other people afflicted with the same problem. "And it might be able to subdue all of them." Katana bit her thumb and wiped the blood on her palm. The summoning jutsu brought forth a small sky blue dragon with cobalt markings ringing its eyes and traveling across its face. "Render them immobile, but let them be able to speak," Katana instructed and the dragon padded over to the writhing man.

The markings around its eyes flashed scarlet and the man fell limp on the ground, staring up at the cave ceiling with blank eyes. The dragon repeated its actions with the other five, then returned to Katana. It sat on its haunches at her feet, the markings on its face holding their scarlet coloring. Katana strode over to the first man, standing over him to gaze into his blank eyes.

"I need you to tell me what happened to you," Katana said without any inflection in her voice. "How were you injured when the village was attacked?"

The man's eyes shifted and he took a shallow breath. "I was trying to fend off our attackers, but I was knocked to the ground and I broke my arm. After that, I rose to continue fighting as best I could, but something hit me in the shoulder. Now that I think of it, it almost felt like someone laid their hand on me. It got really warm and then vanished."

"Help me flip him over, Amaya," Katana said in a voice of authority. Once resting on his stomach, Katana sliced open the back of his shirt, getting hit with a jolt of surprise. "What is that?"

A large black mark spread across the man's right shoulder blade, long thin branches stemming from a main blot. The skin around it was discolored and the branches seemed to clutch his flesh, anchoring the mark to his body.

"It looks almost like a chakra seal," Amaya said softly, analyzing the marking carefully. "He's probably in pain because he's a normal person, so the seal is affecting other parts of his body when it's supposed to affect his chakra network." Amaya knelt down and began weaving hand seals. "Sorry to pull you away from what you were doing, but I can handle this now."

Amaya's hands shimmered a vibrant green and she pressed them over the mark on the man's back. He visibly tensed and Katana's eyes widened as the mark began to spasm and shudder. Amaya grit her teeth and curled her fingers slightly, the mark developing cracks and splits in its dark surface. It then shattered and the fragments vanished, the surrounding flesh returning to its normal color and the man sighed with relief.

Katana inspected the area where the mark had been and found no trace that it had ever existed. She looked at Amaya in shock as the other girl brushed her hands off and walked over to another of the paralyzed people. She quickly set to work in unsealing the remaining seals, each of them easily breaking beneath her hands and fading away into nonexistence. Katana watched her in awe, never before seeing someone release such monstrous-looking seals with such ease. Amaya finished with the last person and sat down on the ground with a sigh, looked at the people she had cured happily.

"How did you do that?" Katana asked in a shocked voice.

"Do what? The unsealing?" Amaya looked back at the six people on the ground. "I can't exactly tell you how. I'm not sure of it myself. I've always been really good at removing seals. All I do is analyze the visible components of the seal, use my chakra to examine what the seal is doing, and I just undo it. I think it's simple, but I haven's been able to find another person who can duplicate my ability."

"Can you seal things as well?"

"Well, sure. I guess I'm really good at that too."

Katana knew Amaya's talent was rare, an ability that could be a great advantage to have yet a terrible disadvantage if it were on the opponent's side. Katana looked down at her dragon and nodded, watching the markings fade to blue around its serpentine face. The six formerly afflicted people slumped as their paralysis was released and the dragon vanished in a puff of smoke.

"You really should come back to Konohagakure," Katana said quietly as she examined the rest of the people. "Your talent could greatly assist us."

"I'd love to come back!" Amaya said with a grin. "If you go back, could you take me with you?"

"If you aren't needed here, certainly," Katana answered, finishing her examinations. "So, how do you know Sen?"

"Huh?"

"Sentaku. When you came to get me, you seemed really friendly toward him."

"Of course I was," Amaya said as if it was common knowledge. "He's practically my best friend. After you left, he was really unhappy, so I hung out with him a little. He said I kinda reminded him of you, but I turned out to be a lot different. Anyway, I always bust his chops and stuff like that. And if he bothers you, just tell me and I'll give him a good smack in the face or you."

"Uh, okay," Katana said with uneasiness. "Thanks."

"And I'll also beat him if he gets between you and your white-eyed friend." Katana stiffened at her words. "I saw the way he carried you back to that room the other day. I know you two have something going on."

"No, I assure you we don't," Katana said solidly, fighting the rising blush from claiming her face. "We're just on this mission together, so we have to help each other."

"Yeah, yeah. Sure you're just helping each other. I think the reason that he got so mad before is because he was jealous of how close Sen was to you."

"No way, Hyuuga would never get jealous over me. I don't know what he thinks of me. At times he's really open and sincere, and at other times he's a closed door that hates me."

"Aww, just like the way a boyfriend and girlfriend act." Amaya laughed at Katana's alarmed expression. "I'm kidding," she said quickly as Katana's expression became cold. "I'll just say that you should do a better job at hiding it, or people are going to think that you two are a couple."

* * *

Neji sat beneath a tree on the edge of the lake, meditating and relieved to be out of the dim atmosphere of the cave. The sun was slowly setting, casting long shadows in the forest and awakening the nocturnal life that ruled the forest beneath the stars and darkness. An occasional bird flitted in the sky, quickly returning to the safety of its nest for the night, and bats soon populated the air. Neji opened his eyes to the growing night, hearing a sound that didn't belong to nature slowly grow louder and louder. He rose to his feet and activated his Byakugan, catching sight of the person fighting through the foliage to where he was located.

"What is your business here?" Neji coldly questioned Sentaku as the older boy appeared in front of him from between the trees.

"I should be the one asking the questions here," Sentaku snapped, his face contorted in anger. "This is my homeland and you're the one treading on my territory, so you'd better comply or I'll be forced to resort to violence."

"I highly doubt that violence is necessary," Neji replied in an icy tone. "I don't know what problem you have, but I don't believe that I am the cause of it."

"Don't talk smart," Sentaku growled. "I know you know what this is about. And if you don't want to address the issue, then I will. Stay away from Katana."

Neji's brow knit together, remembering the same words coming from Riki a period of time earlier. "And what makes you think I want to be with her?"

"You obviously have a connection with her of some sorts," Sentaku said, clutching his hand into a fist. "And I don't like your appearance; it reminds me of something Katana told me. What's your name?"

"I don't have to disclose such information to you," Neji said firmly, turning and walking away in the opposite direction.

"Don't turn your back on me!" Sentaku snarled, stepping forward and grabbing a fistful of Neji's shirt. "Tell me your name or I'll—"

Neji swiftly turned and knocked Sentaku's hand away with a well-placed blow to his wrist. "If you want to know so desperately, my name is Neji Hyuuga."

Sentaku froze and stared at Neji with a stupefied expression. His face suddenly melted into pure rage and his hands began to shake. "Hyuuga? HYUUGA? I'LL KILL YOU!" Sentaku's hands clenched into fists and he lunged at Neji, bloodlust in his eyes.

Neji didn't bother to activate his Byakugan as Sentaku's fist flew through the air. He was no shinobi and his movements were large and exaggerated, easily detected by Neji's sharp eyes. He caught Sentaku's fist and moved toward the other male's body, using Sentaku's extra momentum to assist him in flipping the older boy over his shoulder and onto the ground. Sentaku landed flat on his back with a resounding thud, knocking the air from his lungs. But he didn't remain idle for long.

Sentaku rose to his feet and pulled a short dagger from a sheath at his belt, Neji mirroring the gesture by drawing a kunai. They locked blades and Neji felt as if his opponent was moving in slow motion, Sentaku's movements so enlarged that Neji could devise a counterattack even before the other's motion was halfway complete. Neji parried Sentaku's dagger and spun into him, smashing his elbow into the other's heavily muscled chest. Following up the attack, Neji sent a back kick into Sentaku's stomach, throwing him against a tree.

"You wouldn't be able to do anything for Katana," Neji growled, pointing his kunai between Sentaku's eyes.

"Oh yeah?" Sentaku questioned between gasps of breath, trying to make himself sound as solid and unmoved as possible. "What about what I have already done? I was there for her when she first came here. I was the one who gave her a reason not to throw her life away. I allowed her to accept the world. I helped her get through what you people did to her."

"Hn. That may be the case, but now that she had a new look on life and has other matters to deal with, what can you do for her?"

"At least I don't rob young girls of their dignity and pride just because they experience a human emotion," Sentaku retorted. "Wrap your perverted mind around that."

Neji returned his kunai to his waist pouch and strode away, not wanting to deal with another male using the false stereotype against him. "You should leave Katana alone. She has enough on her mind without someone like you trailing her like a dog. She deserves someone better than someone like you." Neji felt something hard charge into his back and bring him to the ground, a thick arm wrapping around his neck.

"And who exactly is someone like me?" Sentaku snarled, tightening his chokehold. "I'll never let someone who has done her wrong in the past be with her. Never! She would never have a relationship with a Hyuuga! She belongs to me!" Sentaku received Neji's elbow to his jaw and released his grip on the Hyuuga's neck.

"You're mistaken," Neji growled. "She has changed since she was here, it seems. You have the wrong idea."

"You want to bet?" Sentaku snapped and dove at Neji, dagger raised in his hand. Neji controlled his chakra toward his palm and prepared to bury it into Sentaku's chest.

"SENTAKU! NEJI! STOP!"

Hakuai leaped between the two, holding up his arms in a desperate attempt to stop their actions. Neji froze in mid-motion while Sentaku skidded to a halt, the conflicting males only separated by the frail form of the youngest Suterusu. He began coughing and clutched his chest, taking the toll of his scream to get them to stop.

"Move aside, Hakuai," Sentaku ordered, shaking in anger. "I have to do this."

"No, you don't," Hakuai replied once he caught his breath. "I thought I was done breaking up fights once I left me clan. It seems that isn't the case. Please calm down, Sen. There is an enormous misunderstanding."

"Everything seems clear to me," Sentaku hissed, the knuckles of the hand that clutched the dagger turning white.

"No, it isn't. I know something about the incident with the Hyuuga that not even Katana knows. I'm going to tell her tomorrow, but it seems you two have also been affected by this lie."

"What lie?" Neji asked, keeping a wary eye on Sentaku. "There is something that she is unaware of?"

"Yes, but I'm afraid to tell her. This news may make everything okay about the incident, but it may also destroy her depending on how she takes it. I just hope it won't be the latter."

* * *

Katana heard shuffling feet coming toward the section of the cave she was in, seeing her brother enter before long. The day had passed quickly as she assisted the villagers in making a plan to rebuild their destroyed hometown; the idea hadn't been difficult, but Katana had to form a way for normal people to build things without the use of chakra. She was anticipating her brother's arrival, and her stomach knotted as he began to speak.

"Katana, this information could have several affects on you, so please be warned."

"Continue, Otoutosan," Katana murmured, sitting cross-legged adjacent to Hakuai.

"Actually, you may already know what I'm about to tell you. You may have realized it by yourself, but, because of the way you act, I don't think it has occurred to you."

"Just tell me," Katana said with slight irritability. She gently ran her fingertips over the jewel set into her choker, preparing herself for whatever revelation was about to befall her.

Hakuai exhaled softly. "I don't know where to begin. You know your incident with the Hyuuga was begun with a genjutsu, correct?"

"Of course. Genkaku immobilized me and the Hyuuga entered the room and…" Katana trailed off and hung her head. "What's your point?"

"The illusion didn't stop when the Hyuuga entered."

"I know that. I was unable to move while he…you know."

"That's not what I mean," Hakuai said with a shake of his head. "I was there while the incident was going on, I was in the room under the faux kekkei genkai Otousan put me under. I saw the whole thing." Hakuai looked up as Katana looked away in embarrassment. "But I didn't seen what you saw." Katana's look became quizzical. "I never saw a Hyuuga."

"Well, if you were from the others' point of view, you would have only seen a sandy-hair boy—"

"That's not what I mean," Hakuai repeated, his face looking pained. "I mean that I saw no Hyuuga because there never was a Hyuuga."

"What are saying?" Katana hissed quietly, her throat beginning to constrict in fear.

"The Hyuuga was never there. Another person never physically touched you. It was all in the genjutsu; it was all an illusion."

Katana stared at him in shock that quickly melted into confusion. "That's not possible. It just can't be! I know what happened to me. It was too real."

"Genkaku was the master illusionist in our clan. He could manipulate things so well that they could have been real. You endured one of those particular genjutsus. The Hyuuga itself should have been a give away. Are there any Hyuugas with sandy brown hair?"

Katana felt the air catch in her throat as she struggled to breath. "But when Oboe attacked me and manipulated my memory, I—"

"That's exactly it. He manipulated your memory. He showed you what he wanted you to see. You saw from inside the genjutsu, so you saw the Hyuuga even though he was just a creature of you imagination brought to life by Genkaku."

"But, then how did I escape?"

"Genkaku never meant for the Hyuuga to go all the way. He purposely allowed you to escape, thinking you had protected yourself from complete violation, but he was still the one pulling the strings. He purposely made it so that you were given hints that it was fake, but it seems you believed to much in what you saw and didn't bother to pick out the details that could have led you to the truth."

Katana stared and the ground and felt a weakness wash over her in a degree that she had never felt before. "I've been living a lie this entire time? Everything was fake? I've held this hatred, contempt, bloodlust, and agony for nothing? I've held it because of an illusion?"

"I'm so sorry, Nee-chan. But I'm afraid that is the truth behind the matter."

Katana looked at him blankly, wanting to reject what she had been told, wanting to force it out of her mind and pass it off as a bad dream. But she knew the truth now. She knew what the Hyuuga really was. She had been their fool, believing and nearly getting consumed because of an illusion. Her clan had never meant to harm her so terribly, but she had been unable to see through to the reality of the situation. She had been chasing shadows, living a nightmare that they had intended her to wake up from. But she had stayed asleep, too proud to admit the hints to the truth. They had mocked her every time they saw her with Neji. They had mocked her because she still hadn't realized the lie. They mocked her because she was their fool. She was everybody's fool.

* * *

Author Note: Sorry people, only one chapter this week. I've got projects up the yin-yang so I have to spend the rest of the weekend finishing that. So, this is the big revelation. Bigger than what the incident actually was? That's your opinion. That's the reason why she escaped (I remember Lady Phantasmagoric was displeased that Katana got away, but I said I had a reason and this is it). So yeah, my mind is still pretty sick, but I think I'm still sane... I hope. Anyway, I still haven't heard from many people this week. I give uber thanks to all my dedicated reviewers (thank you to Takakuma who always seems to read my chapters the day they come out ^_^ You rock!). I hope Neji wasn't as idle in this chapter; he got called out because of his inactivity in previous chapters. And now Sentaku... poor Neji just keeps getting picked on... Anywho, I just own the usual. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me through these 30+ chapters. I appreciate all the support and stuff. Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	33. Chapter 32: Watch Over You

Chapter 32: Watch Over You

"That's interesting."

Katana knew that Neji would say nothing more as he stared into the fire, unfazed by what he had just heard. Katana attempted to lock his gaze to cull some information as to what he could possibly be feeling or what his mind could be processing. But he didn't turn to her, remaining as closed as a locked iron door. Katana looked away from him, shame and anger burning in her heart.

"Is that all you have to say?" she hissed, clutching her hands into fists and looking at him out of the side of her eyes.

"What else is there to say?"

"A polite word would be nice, possibly 'I'm sorry to here that' or 'things are going to be okay because it's over now'. Oh, wait; I just remembered, you don't say those kinds of things because of that damn stick up your—"

"Why do you need me to tell you such things?" Neji growled, throwing her a cold glare. "Don't you have that other boy to comfort you? Sentaku was all too eager to claim his territory when he believed I was a potential threat. Why don't you go cry on his shoulder? I'm sure he will be thrilled that you have returned to him."

"What are you saying?" Katana sputtered. "I've never heard you talk like this. I don't hold nearly the same feelings for Sen as I did when I was younger. He's nineteen and has only one thing on his mind and I think that is the only reason he is being so vicious."

"Intriguing excuse," Neji grumbled. "You seemed all too carefree when you first saw him."

"Sen practically stopped me from committing suicide when I was a kid. He indirectly saved my life so of course I was happy to see him. He was the first boy to ever care about me. And you don't understand." Katana lowered her voice, struggling to tame her rising anger. "I don't really care about his opinion as strongly as I previously did. I've met someone I respect much more than Sentaku, someone who has given me more than anyone else in this world, someone who I could never thank enough." She looked over at Neji and cast her eyes down. "I don't nearly feel the same way about Sen as I used to."

"Hn."

They fell into silence, eyes locked on the crackling flames of the fire. Katana closed her eyes and rested her chin on her knees, pulling her legs into her chest. She had hoped that Neji would have some sympathy for her after she relayed Hakuai's news. Now she didn't know what hurt more: being a mockery for her clan, or enduring his resentment and cold attitude. She didn't need any more pain, but she had been foolish to seek comfort in Neji in his current bitter mood. Katana thought back to what Amaya said about believing that Neji had been jealous, and she didn't dismiss the thought as rapidly. The prospect seemed somewhat feasible, but Katana doubted that Neji cared enough about her to be jealous. His pride and reputation would stop him from thinking that strongly about a person.

"I shouldn't have said what I did," Neji muttered softly as if he didn't want it to be heard. Katana looked over at him and lifted her head, relaxing her hold on her knees. "I was angered because Sentaku attacked me because of you. It reminded me of a situation I was in with Riki and he had similar beliefs that he had the right to have you. It seems to me that every male who has some previous connection with you has a problem with me."

Katana looked back into the fire, her shame growing. "I don't mean to put you through such trouble."

"It's nothing that you can help,' Neji said, rising to his feet. "I find it humorous occasionally that others think that they can protect you better than me."

"You would protect me?" Katana murmured in disbelief. _Is he actually going to admit that he…?_

"Haven't I done so before?" Neji cast her a sidelong glance and smirked. "I don't enjoy when people treat others like property. I have experienced the situation with my clan, but it can be worse when you are treated as such by your peers. I will assist you as I have before if the situation comes to that."

Katana let the corners of her mouth lift slightly and she looked away as her smirk grew. "It hurts so much to know that I was being played by my clan. Each person mocked me for knowing you, and I finally know why. They had fooled me into believing that what I experienced was real, making me a laughing stock because I was unable to see through the obvious illusion. My naivety was used for their amusement. I feel so ridiculous because of it. I was their fool."

"There is one good thing that comes from the illusion."

"And what would that be?"

"You have no reason to hate me anymore." Neji walked away from the fire and toward the tunnel that led to other parts of the large cave.

Katana stared after him and let a smirk touch her lips. "How could I ever hate you now, Hyuuga?" she whispered once he was out of earshot. "I just wish that you could feel the same way." Katana looked back into the fire and hugged her knees again, somewhat convinced that Neji might actually have been jealous. If it was only a little, it was enough. It would suffice to keep Katana assured that he was there for her even if he didn't realize it himself.

* * *

It had been planned for several people to venture out into the forest to search for suitable land for the new village to be built, but large thunderheads had rolled in across the sky, plunging the world into seemingly eternal darkness. Lightening and thunder split the sky, cleaving the clouds in two to spill torrents of rain down onto the helpless earth. The search parties were withheld, knowing it was terribly dangerous to brave the elements when it was unconfirmed whether the enemies that had attacked the village had departed or still lurked in the area. The villagers remained in the large cave, left to watch the sheets of rain pour in front of the mouth like an infinite waterfall, drenching anyone who dared to venture too close, foreboding the situation people would endure if they fully stepped outside.

Sentaku and Katana sat adjacent from one another, a fire at their sides providing light. Sentaku was being as entertaining as he could, performing magic tricks with a deck of cards made of pieces of tree bark that were worn thin and painted with various dyes to form clumsy pictures. Katana had a skeptical expression plastered on her face, carefully watching his hands as he shuffled and spread the deck out between them.

"Okay, pick a card and memorize it," Sentaku said, his voice serious as he put on his meager show. Katana selected a red eight of hearts. "Now I'm going to take these two kings," Sentaku raised the said cards, "and put them at both ends of the deck. Put your card in the middle." Once it was done he swept the deck up into one pile. "Now, cut the deck. Okay, now the kings have moved. They're scoping out your card." Sentaku grinned mischievously and spread the deck out. The kings were facing up while all the other cards were down, and he collected the ones between the kings. "Cut the deck again." Katana did and he spread the cards out again in one line. There was only one card between the face up kings. Katana took it, but the skeptical expression remained on her features as she stared at the red eight of hearts.

"It's simple, actually," she muttered. "When you cut the deck, the kings are placed to the center of the deck and eventually single out the card the other person picks."

"Yes, but how do they single out that one specific card?" Sentaku asked with a sly smile. "It's magic."

"It has a rational explanation. Show me another."

Sentaku laughed with a grin. "I know you like this. Okay, here I have two aces." He held up the cards. He set them on the top of the deck. "Here I have the first and I want you to hold it face down." He pulled off the top card and Katana took it, carefully watching his hands. "And here I have the other ace." He pulled the top card off the deck again and gave it to Katana. "Now, you're holding the aces, right?" Katana nodded slowly even though she knew that the cards in her hand weren't the aces. "Think again. Take a look." Katana flipped the cards over and saw two queens.

"I saw you take a different cards from the deck. You never gave me the aces."

"Oh really? Are you sure that's what you saw? Is your sight that reliable?" Sentaku's grin faded as Katana's expression became cold. "What's wrong?"

"Don't talk to me about reliable sight," Katana hissed, trying to control her rising anger. "I'm not going to believe what I see as quickly as I used to. That's why I don't believe your tricks." Katana rose to her feet and began to storm off, only to feel Sentaku's hand clasp her own.

"I'm sorry, Katana. You know I didn't mean it. I'm trying to get your mind off of it."

"I know, Sen, but I think I should just…deal with it elsewhere," Katana murmured, but felt Sentaku pull her toward him as he stood up.

"I have an even better way to deal with it," he said with a suggestive smirk. He tugged her close and gripped her waist, pressing their hips together.

"Sen?! What are you—?"

"Hey now!" Amaya called as she ran into the room. She bolted to them and shoved them apart, throwing Sentaku a vicious glare. "Put it on ice, big guy!"

"Amaya, why are you here?" Sen growled, irritated that he had been interrupted.

"I'm clearly putting you in your place. Now, beat it. Nobody likes you or your stupid card tricks. Go be useful or something if you are capable. Otherwise, go sit in a corner and don't bother anyone."

Sentaku opened and closed his mouth, glaring at Amaya as if he wanted to break her neck. A low growl rose from his throat and he stormed off, passing Neji as he exited the section of the cave. Amaya glared after him until he was gone, then turned to Katana and smiled.

"Don't worry, I've got your back."

"Uh, thanks. I—"

"I know, you could have handled it once the initial shock wore off, but Sen would have striped you down to your underwear by then," Amaya said matter-of-factly. "I figured that you wouldn't enjoy that so I stepped in before he could carry out his little evil plans. He's been really annoying since he got older."

"Yeah, I can see that," Katana said uneasily, searching for a different topic. "You came here for a reason, I'm speculating?"

"Yup, one of the elders wanted some of us ninja and the men of the village to set up a watch schedule so we can keep things in check. We came here to get you because I designated you as Neji's partner." Amaya wiggled her eyebrows slightly and suppressed a snicker.

"Who said you picked the partners?" Katana questioned with a raise eyebrow.

"Did you want a different partner? I can arrange that if you want."

"No, it's quite alright," Katana replied and walked toward Neji. "I assume that our watch begins soon."

"In an hour, so don't do anything crazy in that time," Amaya said with a wave of her hand. She began to walk out of the room, pausing beside Neji momentarily. "Don't worry," she whispered with a wink. "I've got your back too." She departed swiftly and disappeared down the tunnel into a deeper part of the cave.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Okay guys, it's your wat— Oh my!"

Katana felt her cheeks turn scarlet and she step away from Neji who she had previously had pinned to the wall. She sheathed her sword and looked anywhere but at the other two people in the room. "Hello, Amaya. We were just training to kill some time."

"Just training?" Amaya said with skepticism, noticing Neji wasn't looking anywhere close to her. "That seemed a little…direct for training." She noticed a faint smirk flash across Katana's face before she could conceal it and Neji seemed to stiffen, the previous conversation the two had had about directness returning to their memories. "But suit yourselves. If you don't want to come out into the open yet, that's fine with me. It's your watch now, so head over to the mouth of the cave. Make it swift and don't do anything to detain yourselves." Amaya made a hasty departure, the glare Neji shot her giving her the warning that she should leave and leave fast.

Katana looked at Neji and a slightly humored expression crossed her features. "I think I'll refrain from using my direct methods when there is a risk of other people interrupting the training sessions."

"That would be a wise idea," Neji muttered and began walking to the tunnel of the cave. "But don't stop using them completely. It helps me greatly to fight someone as straight to the point as you. I have to remain aware and think of a counterattack immediately if I don't want to lose to you."

"So you're only interested in your own development? Is that all I'm good for?" Katana questioned, folding her arms over her chest as she approached him. "Are you only training with because I'm like a tool? Am I nothing more than a tool that will make you stronger?"

"What are you talking about? I didn't mean it that way."

"Than what did you mean?"

Neji was silent as they walked through the torch-lit tunnel, his face betraying no emotion. Katana glanced at him, unable to detect any hint as to what he was thinking about. She unfolded her arms and tugged her fingerless gloves down on her hands, deciding that he had dropped the subject.

"You're more to me than a training partner."

Katana was caught off guard and looked up at him. "Wha—?"

"There you are," a voice called from ahead of them. Two people stood at the mouth of the cave, flagging them down by waving their arms. "It took you long enough to get here. Your watch is for two hours, so another pair will be here to relieve you then."

Neji and Katana sat in silence at the mouth of the cave, Katana trying to process what he had said. She wanted to question further, but the roar of the rain cascading down in front of the mouth of the cave would render all whispered communication inaudible. She looked over at him and saw he had his Byakugan activated, his white eyes staring off into the rain, detecting things she was unable to. She walked over to him, standing a few feet away, casting subtle glances in his direction.

"Is there something you want?" he inquired with just enough volume to be heard over the rain.

"Do you know the time of day it is?"

"It is getting close to dusk." There was silence after his words.

"Do you want to elaborate on what you said earlier?"

"Not particularly." The silence ensued.

Katana looked out into the rain, seeing nothing but the crystal streams pouring from the heavens that blocked sight out into the rest of the world. The rain seemed to be slowing down, if only slightly, but it was no longer a monsoon as it had been earlier in the day. Katana folded her arms over her chest again as a chill crawled up her spine and she involuntarily shivered.

"Are you cold?"

"No, I just—" Katana searched for an explanation, but only came up with one true reason for her sudden chill. "I have a bad feeling. I don't know what it is, but I think something terrible is going to happen. Can you tell what the phase of the moon is?"

Neji raised one of his eyebrows and turned to her. "My Byakugan is unable to see through something as high up as the clouds. Do you think it is one of those creatures from your clan?"

"I don't know, but I certainly hope not." Katana looked out into the rain again and felt the chill begin leeching into her limbs. "I'm going to have to check things out after the rain stops. If it is one of the Rinji Seibutsu, I can't risk staying here and putting the villagers in danger."

"Are you planning to take it on alone again?"

"I have to. Others may get injured if it attacks while I'm here."

"No, I mean are you going to go seeking it by yourself?"

"Yes, I—"

"I won't let you go by yourself." Katana looked at Neji quizzically. "I remember what happened to you last time. You nearly killed yourself fighting that monster and if the others and I hadn't intervened, you would have been taken away to your clan. If you go out searching for that monster, I'm going with you."

"No way, Hyuuga. You can't do that. It will be programmed to kill anyone who tries to oppose it besides me. Its orders will be stricter than before and I won't let you put yourself in harm's way because of me. You've done it enough already."

"Then, what's one more time? You said yourself that my Jyuuken can subdue it. I can prevent you from having to resort to such drastic measures to defeat it." Neji locked her gaze and set his jaw, his seriousness clearly shown on his face. "I won't let it destroy you the way it did last time."

Katana stared at him and lowered her head, feeling her chest tighten. "Thank you, Hyuuga. You don't know how much that means to me. Do you really mean that? Would you really go to such lengths to help me?"

"Haven't I done so already? I'm not about to leave you behind at this point in time."

Katana wanted to embrace him tightly; she wanted to thank him repeatedly for his words. But she stood idle with her head bowed, not courageous enough and unsure of how he would take it. They were silent for the rest of the watch, but Katana felt closer to the stoic Hyuuga than she ever had before.

* * *

The rain stopped by the next day but Katana waited until it was nearly sunset before deciding to set out in search of signs of the reason she had experienced the terrible feeling. She stood in the mouth of the cave, watching the final drops of water run down the mountain and splatter just outside on the rocks. She looked at the lush vegetation, the rain making it stretch and flourish with new vibrancy and life. The slowly sinking sun began casting long shadows, painting the sky vivid oranges, pinks, and reds. Katana had half a mind to set out on her own and disregard Neji's firm statement that he would accompany her. But she rested her hand on the seal at the base of her spine, knowing her foolishness of believing that she could take a Rinji Seibutsu on by herself had been the reason she received the seal.

Setting off down the tunnels, Katana searched for Neji by seeking out his familiar chakra flare. She met up with Amaya along the way and an idea sparked in her mind. The only way to destroy a Rinji Seibutsu completely was to seal away its demon. Amaya was close to a sealing expert. With her and Neji, Katana's hope was renewed that they would be able to destroy the creature if they happened to find it. Amaya was all too gung-ho about assisting Katana and eagerly joined her in searching for the third member of their party. It was shouting and the sound of blows that led them to their destination.

"Take it back!" Neji snarled, pressing a kunai up against Sentaku's throat. The older boy had blood running out of his nose and his lip was split open, a bruise already beginning to darken his left eye. Neji tightened his grip on the collar of Sentaku's shirt, pure fury on his face. Several other young men were backed up around the room, terrified and giving the two fighting males room to battle.

"Hyuuga? What's going on?" Katana raced over to them, Amaya close on her heels. "What are you doing?"

"Katana," Sentaku murmured, his eyes fearful. "Help me."

"Don't lose your focus!" Neji snapped, gripping Sentaku's shirt tighter. "Take back what you said!"

"Hyuuga, calm down," Katana said, gripping his shoulder and pulling him to face her, "You'll kill him if you aren't careful."

"He deserves it," Neji growled.

"Let go of him, Hyuuga," Katana pleaded. "Sentaku's father used to lead this village before he died. If the villagers find out that you nearly killed him, they could send you away and they won't trust me." Neji loosened his grip on Sentaku's shirt and removed his kunai. "Why are you attacking him?"

Neji stepped away from Sentaku and threw him a reproachful glare. "He was talking with the others you see collected here and didn't watch his language in my presence."

"What did he say?" Katana looked over as Amaya began to heal Sentaku's wounds. _To make Neji lose control like that, it had to be something bad._

"He made a very inappropriately derogatory comment about you," Neji growled. "I don't believe it would sit well with you if you heard it."

"We were just fooling around," one of the young men from the side of the cave said, staring fearfully at Neji. "Sen was just—"

"Describing his fantasies?" Neji spat. Katana felt her skin prickle and Amaya punched Sentaku's shoulder once she finished healing him.

"Asshole," she growled and walked toward Neji and Katana. "Now, let's go after this weird demon-creature shall we?" She walked off toward and tunnel, flipping Sentaku the bird in the process.

"Why are you bringing her too?" Neji questioned as they followed Amaya, still trying to calm himself down. Katana explained her reasoning, taking her mind off of her unsettled feelings and wondered what Sentaku could have possibly said about her. Neji didn't seem eager to repeat it. The arrived at the mouth of the cave and the three shinobi shot off into the growing darkness.

Katana looked up through the trees as they moved through the forest, scanning the sky for the moon. It should have been somewhere in the sky by now, but Katana slowly felt her fears begin to grow. It was a new moon. The Rinji Seibutsu would be at its strongest. Katana looked around at the trees, noticing broken branches and patches of leaves missing in certain trees.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Amaya inquired, kneeling on the ground as she examined a part of soil that had been dug up.

"Anything out of the ordinary that could have been caused by something not human," Katana answered, looking at the dug up soil. "This looks like it could have been made by an animal."

"Look at these footprints," Neji said and Katana walked to his side. "These are certainly not human." The footprints were at least two feet long but only several inches thick, the distance between them suggesting that the creature had impossibly long strides. "This creature clearly is not similar to the other."

"No," Katana whispered, eyes widening as she further examined the surrounding area. "Listen you two. If the creature appears and comes to attack me, you have to get out of here. If my speculation is correct, this creature can fight multiple enemies with ease and our only chance is to catch it by surprise. I'll send you a signal of some sort as to when you can return. So until then—"

There was a thunderous crash and the three shinobi turned their gazes skyward as an enormous creature plummeted to the earth. It landed heavily on the ground, but remained on its feet, staring with blank eyes. It was nothing like the first Rinji Seibutsu, the only similarity residing in its expression: the face of a cadaver as its body was controlled by another force.

Katana turned her head to Neji and Amaya as she drew two swords, her face a conflicting mask of fear and determination. The creature took a step forward on its thin feet, gaze locked on Katana and mumbling under its breath. Katana tightened her grip on her swords and called one word to Amaya and Neji. "RUN!"

* * *

Author Note: Alrighty then. I still haven't heard from many people, but it seems I have a handful of truly dedicated reviewers and I have to say: YOU GUYS ALWAYS MAKE MY DAY! THANK YOU!! So... I have good news and bad news. Good news: I'm exempt from all my finals so I get out of school in one week. WOO HOO!! The bad news: I have four summer assignments and they aren't pretty, not in the least. I'm going to do all I can to keep up this story and get passing grades on my homework, but I'll try my best. I plan to write a lot when I'm sick of reading, doing stylistic logs, writing persuasive essays, and doing some crap for history (I'm really going to need to take breaks while I try to tackle that monster). Okay, so I hope that Neji wasn't too OOC, but I kind of like this chapter. I really hate when people think they're all that because they can do card tricks (Shadowblossom15 will know what I'm talking about lol), so I had to add that in there. I own nuttin from Naruto, just the usual things that stem from my own imagination. And I hope that the little blurb in the beginning explained your question Takakuma. So, until next time, peace out.

-cagedbird361


	34. Chapter 33: End of Days

Chapter 33: End of Days

The Rinji Seibutsu was entirely different from the first one Katana encountered. The beast's limbs were thin, seeming to be simply skin wrapped over bone with stretched muscles pulled taut by the length. Where the arms joined the body, thick rolls of grey flesh hung from its joints, looking misplaced resting against its bony torso; the ribs easily seen protruding from the discolored skin, along with its pelvis jutting forward like two daggers at its sides. The legs were reasonably shorter than the rest of its body, forcing the creature to remain hunched over with its long arms supporting its weight like some enormous scrawny gorilla. Its hands were abnormally large, wide and flat with three fingers and a stubby thumb. Extending from each knobby finger was a vicious claw, black in hue and dripping a differently colored substance unique to each finger. Its face was more bestial than the previous Rinji Seibutsu; it eyes were the only humanoid thing about it. Its jaws hung open slightly, leeching some vial liquid from its non-existent lips and exposing rows of black fangs. Its nostrils were two gaping holes in the middle of its head, the skin around them ragged and wet. The beast's eyes scanned the three shinobi blankly, then it rocked back onto its feet and stood to its full height; its head was nearly lost in the tree leaves as it showed itself to be nearly fifteen feet tall.

"I SAID RUN!" Katana yelled, vigorously motioning for Neji and Amaya to leave the area. They were hesitant as they saw the beast lower back down onto its hands and look in the direction of Katana's voice, its clawed fingers gouging at the earth. "GET OUT OF HERE!"

"We can't leave you with that thing," Amaya cried, horrified that Katana would be foolish enough to attempt to fight it on her own. "It's suicide."

"YOU WILL DIE IF YOU STAY HERE! GO!"

"Katana—" Neji began, but she was too frantic to hear him out.

"I SAID GO!"

The creature let out a loud hissing noise, similar to an agitated snake, and Katana turned to face it, hearing Neji and Amaya begin sprinting in the opposite direction. She knew it would be difficult to accomplish what she wanted to by herself, but she couldn't risk the two of them getting hurt. The creature's powers were still unknown to her, but at least she would only have to worry about herself.

"Target," the creature hissed. Its voice wasn't deep or rumbling like the first Rinji Seibutsu, it was more of a quiet hissing shriek similar to two pieces of metal grating together.

Katana gripped her swords and readied her stance, preparing for whatever the creature was about to do. Even with its long arms, Katana judged that she was out of its range, so it would have to move forward to attack her. The creature lifted one of its arms off the ground, holding it level with Katana's height. She took several steps back, its large hand closer to her than she felt comfortable with. There was a sudden crack and its arm extended towards her rapidly, flying through the air at a swift pace. Katana sprang into the air just before the hand plowed into her, clinging to a tree branch over where the hand had buried itself. The creature hissed and Katana saw that the folds of skin that had hung from the shoulder of its extended arm were gone.

_It can stretch its limbs?!_ Katana though with horror. _Fighting at a long distance isn't my strong point. This isn't good._

There was another crack and the creature's arm withdrew into its body, returning to its original long length, the skin folding beneath its shoulder as the arm shrunk. Katana jammed the two swords she held into the bark of the tree branch, quickly weaving hand seals. She threw her arms out in a wide V, the two swords in her back-plate apparatus and the two in the tree branch shooting into the air. They hung suspended by her chakra, every twitch of her fingers causing them to move. The creature was unfazed and held its blank expression, lifting its other arm to point at the tree branch she stood on.

_Crack!_

The arm shot towards her and Katana dove off the branch and onto another, analyzing the creature's movements. Its enormous hand slammed into the branch she had been previously standing on, severing the limb from the tree and sending its crashing to the ground. The arm withdrew and the Rinji Seibutsu turned to where Katana now stood, lifting its other arm.

_Crack!_

Katana dove away as the arm barreled after her, smashing into the tree branch with a thunderous crash. _So it seems it can only use one arm at a time,_ she speculated. _It has to retract one arm before it can use the other. All I have to do is wait for it to extent its arm for it to be vulnerable. _

The creature retracted its arm and locked her with its blank gaze, Katana preparing herself for a counterattack. She readied herself to dive onto the creature once she hear the tell-tale snapping of its bones, but this time, the creature lifted both arms. Katana faltered as her plan was foiled.

_Cra-crack!  
_

Both arms flew forward and Katana dove to the ground, landing and rolling to regain her balance. But only one arm had hit the tree. The other was flying straight for her. Katana hastily threw her hands forward, the swords moving to bury themselves in the racing hand. They sunk into the flesh between its fingers and the hand stopped moving, a skull-splitting howl rising from the creature's vicious jaws. Katana clutched her hands over her ears, wrenching her swords from the creature's hand. It stared down at her and the hand in the tree swiped downward.

Katana threw herself out of the way, feeling the wind ripple at her back. She quickly retaliated, sending her swords at the creature's throat, gashing the grey flesh open with wounds that would have instantly killed any other creature. But the Rinji Seibutsu was not a normal being. The split skin flapped as the creature recoiled, no blood gushing from the wound as it should have.

It bellowed in a hissing shriek, a banshee cry that nearly ruptured Katana's eardrums. The creature didn't heal as quickly as the first, the wound taking its time to seal over. Katana saw the creature's head snap towards her, its blank eyes holding no emotion, but its other features contorted into a snarl. It threw its entire body at her, large hands grasping to clutch something. Katana rapidly wove hand seals, using the Substitution Jutsu just and one of the hands would have crushed her.

She clung to the tree branch she appeared on, hearing a frustrated grunt from the Rinji Seibutsu as its hand closed around a log. It looked up into the trees, blank eyes searching for her without difficulty. Its eyesight was hampered by the dark as much as it would hamper an owl; the creature spotted her and snarled a hissing shriek. It lifted one of its skeletal arms and closed its hand around a tree branch as if supporting itself until the wound on its neck finished healing. In a smooth motion that belied its physique, the Rinji Seibutsu swung itself up into the trees, perching precariously on the branch that creaked under its weight.

Katana stared at the creature, seeing its eyes lock onto her like the crosshairs of a firearm, its grip tightening on the tree trunk to keep itself balanced. Katana watched it carefully as it stared unblinkingly at her, a foul stench reeking from its slavering maw as it hung open slightly. It slipped back slightly on the tree, gripping the bending limb with its large clawed feet. The creature bared its black fangs and launched itself at Katana, hands outstretched and open to engulf her.

Katana dove to the ground and the creature bodily crashed into the tree she had been it, felling it with its weight and momentum. Katana stood rigid until the dust cleared, waiting until the creature looked to locate her once more. It lifted his head with a high-pitched hiss, clawed hands closing slightly and digging ruts into the earth. Katana threw her hands forward, her swords flying forward by her chakra. The beast couldn't react as the swords plunged through into its eyes and protruded out the back of its skull. It screamed in agony, throwing its head to the sky and opening its foul jaws wide.

Katana winced from the sound and wrenched her swords out of the creature's head and crossed her arms over her torso, making the swords slashed at the creature's maimed sockets to give her more time. Katana hastily bit her thumb and wove the necessary seals, summoning the large dragon she had when fighting the first Rinji Seibutsu. The dragon scrutinized the creature, its mouth curling into a snarl and the frills along its jaw line fanned out around its face. The Rinji Seibutsu's flesh wounds had healed, but its eyes were gaping holes in its skull, the flesh around their sockets raw and torn. Katana shuddered and glanced at her swords as she pulled them closer. Although there were no remnants, Katana had torn its eyes from its head.

"Another one of those monstrous creatures," the dragon growled. "This time I refuse to give you my chakra."

"I don't want it, dragon," Katana said quietly, watching as the Rinji Seibutsu awkwardly got to its feet and stumbled, hindered without the aid of eyes. "I need you to take to the air with me. I believe an aerial assault will work best now that the creature is unable to see."

"As you wish," the dragon responded. It lowered itself to the ground and Katana climbed onto its back, sitting behind its shoulders and in front of its wings. It opened its bat-like wings and sprung through the trees, propelling itself into the night sky above the forest. The Rinji Seibutsu shrieked from beneath the leaves and the dragon flew higher to circle the area, wheeling so Katana could keep her eyes on the ground.

The creature burst up from the trees, teetering on the weak upper branches as it tried to climb to their level. It found stability and turned its head skyward, it empty sockets gaping at her, adding to it terrifying and vile features. The air roared in Katana's ears as the dragon continued to wheel above the creature, but another sound reached her from the ground. A loud, wet sucking noise came from the Rinji Seibutsu and Katana glimpsed the ragged skin around the creature's nostril holes rippling as the noise continued.

"It's trying to sniff me out," Katana called over the wind.

"Even if it tries to utilize its other senses, it will be unable to detect you by scent," the dragon murmured, its deep voice carrying back to Katana with the wind. "My scent is much stronger than yours and will completely mask it. You will remain hidden as long as you are with me."

"Good to know, but we must strike now while it is still attempting to find me," Katana said, strengthening the chakra flow to her swords. "Swoop down behind it and let me take it by surprise."

"Wait for another moment, Katana-sama," the dragon growled, eyeing the creature below. "It seems to be trying another method." The Rinji Seibutsu had opened its jaws and extended a long black forked tongue into the air in front of it. "It seems to be tasting the air, similar to the way a snake will search for prey."

"Then move quickly before it has any chance of detecting us," Katana retorted.

The dragon let a low growl ripple from its throat and fell into a steep dive, aiming itself at the creature's back. Katana readied her arm to strike the beast in the back of the neck, but the dragon opened its wings and gave a sharp whine of surprise. The Rinji Seibutsu's mouth had widened exponentially and it gave a retching sound, body crunching. The dragon beat its wings rapidly, desperately struggling to gain altitude. Katana was forced against the dragon's neck as it climbed into the air, calling to it for an explanation of its actions. But her questioned was answered before the dragon could respond.

A large ebony serpent erupted from the Rinji Seibutsu's jaws and shot up into the air after the dragon, hissing a demonic shriek as it soared higher. The dragon continued to fly higher as the serpent reached its full length and was brought to a halt with a howl. The dragon leveled off and stared down into the serpent's burning vermillion eyes and Katana noticed that it seemed to be disintegrating into the air.

"That's no serpent," Katana murmured in realization. Its form was shadowy and didn't seem solid, warping and twisting in the air. It was protruding from the Rinji Seibutsu by its mouth and the creature looked wilted and frozen as it stood in the treetops. "That's the demon was placed into the creature's body to turn it into the Rinji Seibutsu. This one can eject itself from its physical body, but not completely emerge."

"That monster reeks of dark energy," the dragon snarled, shaking Katana slightly as it shuddered. "I don't want to think of what can happen if we fall into its clutches."

The demon hissed and withdrew into the Rinji Seibutsu, bringing the creature back to life. It stared upward with its empty sockets, lifting its arms above its head. The joints cracked and the limbs shot into the air, swiping at the air without coming near Katana or the soaring dragon. But it kept its arms aloft, the large hands giving a warning that nothing could pass them.

"I'm going to dispel you, dragon," Katana said, sheathing her swords. "There is no way we can get close to that creature now."

"But you'll fall to your death!" the dragon sputtered. "I nearly killed you once, and I refuse to do it again. I can easily flame the creature and bring you to the ground while it is recovering."

"No, dragon. I won't fall all the way. I have a plan to attack it, and you can't resist me when I dismiss you. You are bound to a contract."

The dragon growled in defeat and dipped so it was only several feet away from the swinging limbs. The Rinji Seibutsu retracted its arms and began sucking in the air through its nose as if trying to attract particles into its direction. Katana set her jaw and made one hand seal, the dragon disappearing from under her. She plunged through the air, falling rapidly toward the treetops. She drew two of the swords, watching the beast beneath her as it sucked in air. It threw one of its hands out and Katana landed heavily on its leathery palm, driving her swords into the flesh. But they bounced off harmlessly, the flesh far more stable than between its fingers. It had been commanded to bring her alive, and it had prevented her from meeting her death by the cold forest floor beneath her. But the creature was no less angered.

It bellowed and flipped its hand over, sending Katana plummeting through the tree leaves. She forced chakra to her hands and released her swords, barely gaining purchase on a tree branch before the branches ran out. She pulled herself up and felt as if her limbs were leaden, the amount of chakra she used finally taking affect. She knew the creature's powers, but had been unable to develop a strategy against it and she felt uncomfortable in signaling Neji and Amaya to return. But she had little choice as the creature lowered back into the forest, its tongue lolling out from between its black fangs to sense her. Staring at her swords on the ground below, Katana fished a solider pill out of her waist pouch and slipped it into her mouth. Weaving hand seals, Katana sent an enormous tongue of flame into the air, hoping Neji and Amaya would understand her signal.

* * *

"We have to go out there!" Amaya cried, seeing the plume of flame burst into the air.

"How can you be sure that the fire is the signal?" Neji questioned, although he too was anxious to join the fight. The battle above the treetops hadn't seemed to end in Katana's favor.

"You've been holding us back every time I think we should go!" Amaya snapped. "If we wait any longer, Katana is going to be dead. How much more of a signal do you need?"

"Fine then. Let's move."

"Wait!"

Neji and Amaya whipped around and saw Hakuai shuffling towards them, hands raised to attract their attention. He stopped in front of them, wheezing for breath and clutching his chest.

"What are you doing, Hakuai?" Amaya asked, looking out toward the place Katana had fallen through the trees with unease. "How did you get so far from the cave?"

"Don't worry about me," the boy gasped, pulling his heavy cloak tighter around his shoulders. "I need to go with you when you go to Katana."

"That is absurd," Neji stated blatantly. "In your state, you would be killed in minutes."

"No, I need to go with you," Hakuai insisted, looking up with desperation. "I know things about that creature that are essential if you want to destroy it. It has been altered, if I sense it correctly, and its defenses have been modified."

"What do you mean?" Amaya looked between Hakuai and the direction of the battle with worry. "Please be quick. We need to get over there. How do you know so much anyway?"

"Remember, Amaya, I was once nearly turned into one of those monsters. I know how they work better than anyone." Hakuai took a shaky breath and pulled his cloak even tighter around himself, shivering in the night air. "This creature has only two weak points on its entire body, if I'm not mistaken. Neji, if you are to render it immobile with your Jyuuken, you need to hit it dead in the middle of its eyes. Nowhere else is permeable to chakra. And Amaya, the only place where the demon can be extracted is in the center of its chest. If either of you miss your marks, then your attacks will be useless and it will be open for the creature to retaliate."

"What exactly is that thing?" Amaya demanded. "I saw it when it appeared through the treetops, but I've never seen a monster of its kind before. Does it have any other weaknesses? Can we harm it in any other way?"

Hakuai took a shuddering breath. "You will never encounter an earthly creature like the Rinji Seibutsu. They cannot be born, only created, and they have no human functions to speak of. They do whatever they are commanded to do, only stopping once their task is done or they are destroyed. And on that note," Hakuai began rummaging through the inner folds of his cloak, "I have something that may be of use against it." Hakuai pulled a small dagger from within his cloak, holding it out flat in his palms. The blade was made of black metal with veins of silver coiling over the surface, glimmering in the starlight. The hilt, pommel, and cross-guard were rusted and tarnished and had left an orange residue on Hakuai's palms.

"What's so special about a dagger?" Amaya snapped. "We have to get going and weak weapons like that will do us no good." She began to turn away and she drew her own sword from the scabbard that hung from her belt.

"Wait, Amaya. This is not an ordinary dagger." Hakuai took a step after her, his brown eyes glimmering with desperation and worry, creases appearing in his pale brow. "Do you see the black blade? Do you see the silver lines? This weapon holds a poison of a kind. I do not know its name, it origins, or what its effects are, but I do know that it acts as a restrain to demons. If any creature with a heart black enough is cut by this dagger, they will be rendered powerless for a short period of time. This blade is older than anyone in my clan can remember, but the poison within keeps the blade preserved while the rest of the weapon rusts away. The grip has been changed many times, if I have been told correctly, and this is the only way I know of that we will have a chance at defeating this Rinji Seibutsu."

There was an explosive crash and a cry of agony from the direction of where Katana was located. Hakuai's eyes went wide and he clutched the dagger to his chest, staring off into the trees fearfully. He began to shake, whispering Katana's name under his breath and rocking back and forth on his heels.

"Hakuai, give us the dagger," Neji said, extending his hand. "We have to go to Katana. There can be no more detainment."

"No, I'm going with you."

"You can't, Hakuai," Amaya protested firmly. "Katana won't want you to be there and risk you getting hurt."

"She's my sister and I refuse to trust this dagger with anyone. It is the only thing I have stolen from my clan, and, with all that they have stolen from me, I won't take a chance of anyone losing it. I have a plan anyway, so take me with you." Amaya futilely argued back at him and Neji knew time was running out.

"Enough, you two," he snapped, throwing Hakuai a glare. "Amaya and I can Shunshin there, so you will just have to hang on to us. Just don't get in the way of the fight." Neji rapidly made the hand seals for the teleportation jutsu and Amaya mimicked his actions, ordering Hakuai to take hold of her arm. The jutsu initiated, the three disappeared in a cloud of smoke, hoping that they weren't too late in assisting Katana.

* * *

Blood running down her arm, Katana clutched her shoulder and bolted out of the tree as the Rinji Seibutsu's arm smashed into the bark, severing yet another tree limb. She rolled over the ground and sprang to her feet clumsily, staggering as her shoulder throbbed in pain. The creature's actions had become reckless, attacking viciously as it searched for her blindly. The large claws on its hands had torn branches and trees from where they were rooted, swiping at the kunoichi wherever it sensed her with its lolling black tongue. Katana's evasiveness was failing slowly, earning her the gash on her shoulder from a falling tree branch that she had been unable to avoid.

She leaped into the air as the creature fired its other arm at her, feeling its claws nearly graze her ankles. It bellowed and swung its other arm, clipping Katana in the hip when she was still airborne. Crashing to the ground, Katana saw the world around her waver, knowing her consciousness was faltering. She could feel the ground shudder as the creature stepped toward her crumpled figure, its heavy limbs loudly thumping across the forest floor. In moments it would be standing over her, slavering jaws dripping and foul breath falling against her face in rancid gusts. But before the monster to get any closer to its target, there was a puff of smoke and the creature recoiled slightly in surprise.

"Back, monster! Back!"

Hakuai tore from the smoke, eyes flashing and dagger raised up toward the Rinji Seibutsu. He stood solidly, his frail frame nearly lost in his cloak, but he had power radiating from him. Power in the form of hatred.

"Katana! Are you okay?" Amaya ran over to the older girl, crouching over her limp body. "This wound isn't trivial."

"It took you long enough to get here," Katana murmured, blinking rapidly to clear the darkness from her vision. Amaya began to heal Katana's shoulder when a bloodcurdling shriek split the air.

The Rinji Seibutsu was shrinking back from Hakuai as the small boy stepped forward, the black-bladed dagger held up toward the monster's face. It snarled and screamed, hackles raising as it back peddled clumsily. It swiped out a clawed hand but made no attempt to actually attack Hakuai, its fear of the dagger overtaking its want to retaliate.

"Neji, I have it cornered," Hakuai said softly between the creature's demonic howls. "Give me a kunai and I'll throw it at this monster. It will flee from it, thinking that it is the dagger, but will attack me once it dodges and believes that I am unarmed. I will strike it when it is unaware and then you attack."

Neji gently tossed a kunai to the youngest Suterusu, the small boy standing defiant in the shadow of the colossus before him. He lifted the steel knife, the creature's lolling tongue writhing like a spasmodic snake, and Hakuai hurled the kunai. The Rinji Seibutsu shrieked and sprang into the air, large hands clamping around two tree trunks to keep it aloft as the kunai whizzed under its withered body. Its tongue flicked and it remained motionless, making no move to retaliate.

"It can sense the dagger, Hakuai," Katana murmured, slowly struggling to sit up. "It knows that you still hold it. It won't attack while it can sense the poison in the blade."

"Then we have to somehow stop it from sensing its surroundings," Neji responded, watching as the monster stared at them with its gaping eye sockets. "Can you do whatever you did to eradicate its eyes on its tongue?"

"I can try," Katana muttered, glancing at Amaya as she finished healing her shoulder. "Just watch my back." Katana crawled over to where her swords had fallen, gripping the hilts and keeping a close eye on the creature. It cocked its head as she rose to her feet, its tongue twitching and a string of rancid saliva dripped from the forked point. "Cover your ears," Katana warned, remembering the cry it had emitted when she stabbed its eyes. She wove hand seals slowly, trying to keep the creature unaware of her intentions. Chakra connected to the pommels of the blades, Katana lifted the swords into the air and paused for a moment before crossing her arms over her chest harshly. The swords flew up to the creature and crossed in front of the creature's face, an ear-splitting scream emitting from its jaws.

The creature's grip on the tree trunks slackened and it plummeted to the ground, landing with a thunderous crash as it writhed and thrashed among the tree roots. Its tongue shriveled where it had fallen, all that it left remaining was a pile of black powder. The beast continued shrieking and the three shinobi clasped their hands over their ears, struggling to fight off the sound. Hakuai shuddered to his knees and released his dagger, needing both hands to try to block the sound.

The Rinji Seibutsu suddenly fell silent and rapidly rose to its hands and knees, the stump of its tongue balancing on the edge of its ebony fangs. The nostrils sucked in air and it tensed, idle and seeming to prepare its next move.

"What is it doing?" Amaya whispered, gingerly removing her hands from her ears. Katana looked between the other three and her eyes rested on Hakuai's empty hands and her blood ran cold.

"Hakuai! The dagger!" she cried, making her brother jump in shock.

He gasped and made a grab for his weapon, but the creature snarled and lashed out with its oversized hand. Hakuai gave a cry of shock as the hand closed around him, lifting him clean off the ground. The Rinji Seibutsu sucked Hakuai's scent into its nostrils, a low growl rippling from its throat. It turned its hand over, palm up, and Hakuai lay sprawled against its leathery skin. Katana cried out to her brother, but he didn't respond, captivated by the monster's hideous featured and his terror. The beast curled its middle finger over Hakuai's body, the black claw positioned over the young boy's chest.

"Hakuai!" Katana cried, taking a step toward him. She broke into a run and Neji dove at her, grabbing her arms and holding her back. "Let go, Hyuuga! Hakuai! Hakuai, move out of the way! You'll be killed! Hyuuga, let me go! Otoutosan!"

"You'll run to your death, Katana!" Neji snapped into her ear. "You're the one that creature wants. If you get to close, it will take you."

"I don't care, Hyuuga! My brother is going to die! Hakuai!" She struggled against him and Neji pulled her more firmly into his grasp, holding her against him tightly.

The Rinji Seibutsu was staring at Hakuai with empty sockets, growling coldly. "Traitor," it hissed, clawed finger arched like a scorpion's sting. Hakuai's eyes widened with fear and he made an attempt to move out of the way. The creature snarled and curled its finger into its palm, burying the claw into Hakuai's stomach.

"NOOOOO!" Katana cried, stretching her arms out to her brother and falling limb in Neji's arms, her breath choking in her throat.

The beast let Hakuai's body roll off its palm and fall to the ground with a soft thud. The boy laid unmoving, blood spreading over his shirt and his eyes staring blankly at the sky. Katana saw where the black-bladed dagger had fallen and she felt anger begin to bubble up in her body. She let out a snarl and tore herself from Neji's grasp, diving toward the dagger. The creature became alert, but was unable to sense Katana's actions as she grasped the dagger and whipped it at the monster's body. The dagger sunk into its neck, where its jugular should have been, and the creature began to scream. But the monster's voice fell dead and it crumpled to the ground, crumpled and twisted like a rag doll.

"Hurry, Hyuuga!" Katana called spinning around to face the others. "Attack it while it's down. The poison in the dagger may run out. You have to—"

The beast let out a strangled hiss, its body twitching and beginning to thrash. Neji sprung into action and bolted toward the creature's head, landing a powerful palm thrust directly between its eyes. It cried out and fell motionless again, but its chest rose and fell rapidly with harsh breathing as if it were angered or frustrated. Amaya apprehensively stepped forward; weaving hand seals and her hands began to shimmer with a green light.

"Hurry, Amaya," Katana urged, watching as the creature began to jerk and shudder. "The poison is carried by chakra, so because the chakra is no longer flowing, it is no longer spreading the poison. It may have the affect opposite than what we want."

Amaya nodded and stepped quickly up to the creature, removing a scroll from her waist pouch and unrolling it on the ground. She extended her hands to its chest, the protruding sternum helping her easily distinguish the center of its torso. She set her teeth and was about to set her glowing hands on its body when it thrashed and struck her harshly with its hand, the claw of its first finger raking across her arm.

Amaya cried out and the beast struggled to move, spasmodically pulling the dagger from its neck and snarling wildly. Katana gripped on of her swords and leaped forward, only to see Neji dart in front of her, palm reared back. The beast howled and shot its arm at him, slicing his shirt open across the chest and grazing his underlying flesh with the claw of its third finger. Katana gave a cry of horror as she saw Neji skid and sink to the ground, hands clutching at his chest. Amaya had fallen to her knees, grasping her arm and shaking, face locked in a horrified expression.

_They're going to die_, Katana thought in blank realization. _Hakuai has gone, and the other poisons will do no less damage. I have led them all to their deaths. Why should I be the one to live? We're all just born to die, but why must I be the one who puts them in danger? I can't fight this monster alone. _Katana could hear her heart thudding in her chest as the beast turned its eye sockets to her. Time was running out; the others' lives were growing short and she was aware of the countdown synchronizing with her heartbeat, ticking away at their lives. She had every intention to join them, but she wouldn't go down without a fight.

Katana gripped her swords and set her teeth. There was no tomorrow, just today, and she had only one last opponent to fight, even if she would never win. The monster snarled and she felt a power bubble within her, a power that stemmed from rage and fury. She sprang forward, swords raised, and lunged at the monster. It extended its arms towards her, but she dodged rapidly, getting closer and closer. A growl rose from her throat and she slashed at the creature's face, feeling her blades glance off. Her swords, unlike the black-bladed dagger, were crafted from normal metal and had no extra properties. They were useless in piercing the monster's hide and it swung its hands at her as she landed on the ground. Fighting to dodge and remain alive, Katana felt her energy drain and her power dwindle, the truth of the situation setting in.

"Target," the monster hissed, catching her zippered sweater on its claws and tearing the back to shreds. Katana stumbled and fell to the ground, knowing that she would be unable to move away in time. She looked up as the monster towered over her, slavering jaws gaping over her body.

"Not today!" Neji's voice snarled and he leaped into the air with his palm raised. He landed a solid hit to the creature's face, making it shriek and stagger backwards.

Amaya was rising to her feet shakily, weaving seals hastily and stumbling forward. The creature struggled to restart the flow of the chakra controlling it, but Amaya was already upon it, slamming her hands into its sharp sternum. The creature threw its head back in a silent scream, mouth wide and displaying every black fang in its jaws. Amaya wrestled with a shapeless black cloud, pulling it roughly from the monster's body and pressing her hands to the scroll that was still laid out on the ground. The demon was sucked into the scroll and black markings coiled over the paper, locking it in place. The Rinji Seibutsu's body shuddered and fell limp like the empty corpse that it was, a sack of flesh, bone, and minimal muscle. It disintegrated within minutes and, for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, there was utter silence.

Katana looked between Neji and Amaya, staring at their bleeding injuries with fuzzy eyes, her head spinning. "How did you two…?"

Amaya hissed softly and looked at her arm. "This poison doesn't seem to be spreading too fast. I can move freely and I have no pain. I was just caught off guard by the initial shock of the injury, Is it the same with you, Neji?"

"Not exactly," he answered in a tight voice, hands over the gash in his chest. "My limbs are going slightly numb, to be honest."

"Oh no," Katana whispered crawling closer to them. "I've brought this upon you. I didn't know this would happen. I didn't want you to get hurt. I—"

"Katana," a voice croaked from her side. She looked down and gasped. Hakuai lay beside her, his eyelids flickering weakly and his breathing shallow. "Don't look at me that way, Nee-san. I was nearly a Rinji Seibutsu once. I was given antidotes to all the poisons that they are equip with. The wound in my stomach is small and the antidotes are helping to stimulate the cell division. I will be fine." Katana gave a hitched sigh of relief, tears collecting slightly in her eyes. "But I can't say the same for the others.

"The poison from the claw of the first finger will slowly degrade a person's mind if it goes undetected. It is one of the slowest working poisons know to us, so Amaya won't feel any difference for a while, but the damage is still being done. The poison of the third finger will slowly shut down the spinal cord and the outward stretching nerves. The numbness Neji feels is just the beginning of his body losing control over itself. But do not despair. I told them I needed to come with them for a reason. Find the dagger and bring it to me."

Katana obeyed her brother's wishes, watching his frail body carefully as he gasped for breath. She retrieved the dagger from under a broken branch, noticing that the silver lines were gone and the blade was plain black. Hakuai took the dagger from her when she returned, and before she could stop him, he had slit one of his wrists open.

"Fear not," he said in a whispering voice. "My body is in a fiercely regenerative state and the blood will clot and the bleeding will stop rapidly. My blood holds antibodies against both poisons that Neji and Amaya are afflicted with. Spread my blood on their wounds and it will destroy the poisons. Be swift."

Katana did as he instructed, noticing that Neji's poison was progressing far more swiftly than Amaya's. Hakuai's blood on their wounds, Katana healed the gashes, sealing the antidotes beneath their skin, assuring their recovery. She healed Hakuai's wrist even though the blood had stopped gushing from the veins. A light wind blew and the Rinji Seibutsu's ashes began to scatter, blown through the felled trees and their living companions. Katana stared down at Hakuai and felt a wave of weakness wash over her. She wanted to stay with them and protect them until they were stable enough to move on, but her head swam and she couldn't deny her exhaustion. Lowering herself to the ground next to Hakuai, Katana closed her eyes and fell into unconsciousness. She had lived another day, but she felt dead inside.

_Never before have I put anyone in such danger_, her subconscious whispered. _And I will try, with all my strength to never do it again. They mean too much to me.

* * *

_

Author Note: SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER!!!! Ahem, sorry. Had to do that. Today was my last day, but now I've got to start tackling the enormous pile of summer assignments that I have been given. Blarg. Anyway, I kinda took a few things from other sources to put in this chapter, which happens to be my longest yet. The Shadow of the Colossus is an AMAZING game that I was addicted to last summer. The idea of the Rinji Seibutsu extending its arms came from a Spyro video game I played where one of the bosses could extend its arms to hit you and the signal was a 'crack'. I'm just doing a little CYA here. Moving on, it's good to see NeferNeferi back (I feel your pain about the school work. You have my sympathies.) It took me four days to write this... so here it is. I'm sorry if the ending was bad, I couldn't thing of a better way to end it and my brain is now in summer mode (sorry to brag, but I was so excited that I ran out of the school singing "School's Out" by Alice Cooper and all the seniors were giving me funny stares.) Okay, so that's all for now and I hope to update soon. I own nothing, just the usual. Peace Out.

-cagedbird361


	35. Chapter 34: Face Down

Chapter 34: Face Down

_The Rinji Seibutsu swiped its clawed hand, ripping open Hakuai's chest. The three gruesome lacerations spilt blood on the ground in a vicious torrent, and Hakuai fell to the ground and remained motionless. Katana cried out his name and took a step toward his mangled body, but Amaya stepped in front of her, sword raised as the creature turned its attention to Katana. It hissed coldly and opened its mouth wide, black fangs gleaming sharply. It gave a retching noise and the demon in the form of a serpent spewed from its jaws, barreling through Amaya. She gave a cry of pain and stood rigid, the serpent still running her through with its ebony body. It flicked its tongue at Katana and withdrew into the Rinji Seibutsu, pulling out of Amaya. She crumpled to the ground in the same state as Hakuai. _

_Neji took a step forward and readied his stance as the Rinji Seibutsu turned to him. Katana called his name, trying to convince him to run and save himself. But no matter how loud she screamed, her voice didn't reach him and he stood rooted to his spot. The creature lifted its arm and the shoulder cracked, shooting at Neji. Katana gasped with relief as he dodged the limb, but the other arm was suddenly aimed in her direction. She was unable to move and knew she would meet her death by the monster's deadly claws, but the pain never came. Neji dove at her and pushed her out of the way, taking the blow for her. The middle claw ran him through, pinning him against a tree with a violent crash. He stood motionless, staring blankly at the claw piercing his chest before he slumped forward, a crimson bloodstain blooming across his white shirt. _

_Katana cried out to him, begging him to look up at her, begging him to respond in some way. But he remained slumped over the creature's claw, his ivory skin turning ashen. The monster retracted its arm, causing Neji's body to fall to the ground with a gentle thump. Katana stared at her three fallen companions, the people that had died for her. She stared at the Rinji Seibutsu, tears beginning to well in her eyes. It snarled and approached her with thundering steps, eye sockets staring at her with emptiness. She gripped her sword and stood up, anger making her throat tight. She grit her teeth and sprung at the creature, sword raised to bury in its neck. But the creature swatted her out of the way as if she were nothing more than a bothersome mosquito. She fell heavily to the ground, dazed and feeling her consciousness waver. The creature stood over her and lifted its large hand, the claw of its middle finger poised like a wasp's sting. She stared her death in the face and waited for the movement that would end her life. At least she would join those who had fallen before her. _

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Katana, wake up," Neji hissed, shaking her shoulder. She remained asleep, shuddering at his touch, a pained expression on her features. "Katana." Neji made his voice firmer, but she still did awake. Her breath hitched and she thrashed at his voice, her breathing harsh and difficult. "Katana!" He let his voice rise and gripped her shoulder tightly. Her eyes flashed open with a cry, her hand swiping violently as she locked his gaze. Neji caught her wrist before her fist reached his face, leaning over her so his face hovered above hers.

"H-Hyuuga," Katana whispered in a hoarse voice, her wide eyes staring deeply into his. "It- I- You- the creature—"

"Calm yourself," Neji murmured quietly, relaxing his grip on her wrist. "You were having a nightmare."

Katana exhaled heavily and closed her eyes, her breath still strained and gasping. "So it was a dream," she whispered, shivering slightly. "The Rinji Seibutsu had killed the others…and you. It was about to kill me, too, and it was touching me in the dream, but it must have been you trying to wake me. I didn't mean to swipe at you. I—" Katana opened her eyes and looked at her wrist still held in Neji's hand. His flesh was cool and soothing, and she flicked her eyes back to his face as she felt color rise to her cheeks.

"I didn't mean to startle you," Neji murmured, slowly releasing her wrist and straightening up so he was no longer directly over her. "But you do realize that you did fight a Rinji Seibutsu, correct? Not everything was a dream."

Katana sat up weakly and rubbed her eyes, her body aching as she moved. "I know some was real, but now I just have to separate the dream from reality." Katana looked down at her hands, noticing that she had several tears in her fingerless gloves. "The creature was killed, I remember that. You and Amaya were poisoned, but there was an antidote in… Oh no!" Katana's head snapped to Neji's direction, her eyes wide with fear. "Hakuai. What happened to Hakuai? He was healing, but he… I have to get to him." Katana moved to rise to her feet, but Neji set a hand on her shoulder and forced her back down.

"Don't worry about your brother at this current time," Neji said softly, locking her with his pearl gaze. "He is resting at the moment and shouldn't be disturbed. You need rest as well, so try not to worry about it."

"What's wrong with Hakuai, Hyuuga?" Katana whispered, her voice colored with worry. "What happened to my brother?"

"Your brother is healed," Neji said after a pause, his hesitation making Katana uneasy. "That is all that you need to know right now."

"Hyuuga—"

"Don't dwell on it. If you worry, you won't be able to rest. You endured quite a fight with that monster. You've slept for the better part of a day, but you should still let your body recover."

"What if I have another nightmare?" Katana retorted, but she was becoming aware of her growing exhaustion. "That will be counterproductive."

"I will wake you if I see you are troubled," Neji responded gently. "I have nothing to accomplish in this place, so I will stay with you here."

Katana stared at him with slightly widened eyes. _He's going to watch over me while I sleep?_ she thought with shock. Her eyes returned to their normal width and she laid back down, Neji turning to stare into the fire. Katana watched his motionless figure beside her until her eyelids slowly drooped and closed. His presence seemed to chase all her nightmares away, killing any darkness that would try to dwell in her mind. Katana fell into a dreamless sleep, warmed by the fire and Neji's aura beside her.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

The next day had dawned when Katana woke a second time. Her body continued to ache and she stiffly stretched as she sat up, noting that the fire had burned down to feeble embers. Neji sat next to her, casting her a sidelong glance, even if it was difficult to tell with his pale eyes.

"How are you feeling?" he inquired, turning his head in her direction.

"Like I got hit by one if your Jyuuken strikes," Katana muttered, rubbing her face with the back of her gloved hands. "Everything hurts."

"Here," Neji said, extending his hand toward her. She glanced from between her fingers and saw he was holding a bunch of berries wrapped in a leaf. "You must be hungry. Your small friend brought these not long ago, the one I believe you said was the younger brother of…Sentaku." Neji spat out the name as if it had a foul taste. Katana gave him a questioning look, but he quickly replaced his emotionless mask and looked away. Katana took the berries from him and turned her gaze to the fire.

There was an extended silence as Katana ate the berries, their sweet flavor lingering on her tongue after she had swallowed. "Do you want any?" she murmured to break the silence, offering the quiet Hyuuga the last of the fruit. He shook his head with a gentle smirk, eyes lingering on her lips. Katana's stomach twisted as she realized where his gaze was, and she stiffly watched as he lifted his hand to her face.

"You have some of the berry juice on your mouth," he said as he noticed her confused expression. He gently ran his thumb over her bottom lip, making Katana shiver. But it wasn't just from his cool skin. "Is there something wrong?" He quirked an eyebrow and smirked faintly.

"No," Katana whispered, feeling his fingertips linger on the side of her face. "Nothing is wrong. Nothing at all."

"Hn." Neji slowly slid his fingertips off her cheek and rose to his feet. "We should begin to plan our departure. We've spent far to long in this place. The villagers have found a suitable place to reestablish their settlement, so there is no reason for us to remain here."

"What made you decide this?" Katana questioned, pulling her hair from its disheveled bun. "We should be returning to the Village soon, but why are you suddenly in a rush to get out of here?"

Neji was silent for a moment before turning to her and extending his hand. "I just grow tired of this place. There are too many people huddled in this one cave and I don't feel particularly welcome here."

"What do you mean by that?" Katana asked, taking his hand and rising to her feet with his assistance.

"It seems someone has turned may people in this area against me," Neji said quietly, looking away. "Several people have made inappropriate remarks as I pass, and they don't trust me in any way. They only speak and interact with me out of fear."

Katana's brow creased and she lowered her head, knowing exactly who had turned the villagers against the Hyuuga. "You're right, then. We should leave soon. But first I must speak with a few villagers and check on my brother." Katana turned to walk away, but Neji gripped her hand tighter and stopped her movement.

"I must warn you, Katana," Neji spoke quietly, his tone foreboding ill circumstances. "Hakuai isn't in the best of conditions. He…was injured greatly during the fight."

"Be that as it may, I still need to see him," Katana said firmly. "He's my brother after all, no matter what the situation is."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

The remaining elder in the village hadn't been pleased with the prospect of Katana departing, but she had easily been able to rationalize her reasons for needing to leave. The area that they had chosen was suitable land and Katana had given her approval, something that would make it easier for the villagers to accept her absence. Once she had finished her meeting with the elder, telling him that she planned to leave by the next morning, Katana navigated the cave until she reached the area where the injured villagers had lain when she first arrived. The room was occupied with only two people now: Amaya and Hakuai.

"You shouldn't come any closer," Amaya stated, running to intercept her. "You would be better to remember the way your brother was, not the way he is now."

"Amaya," a frail voice croaked from behind the females, raspy breathing becoming increasingly audible. "Let her pass."

"But, Hakuai," Amaya protested, turning back to the figure lying on the ground, "look at the state that you're in."

"It matters not," Hakuai hissed. "Please come closer, Nee-san."

Katana stepped past Amaya and approached her brother slowly, her chest tightening as she got closer. He was staring at her, his eyes blank and dull. Both his hair and eyes were grey in color, drained of hue, and his face looked just as skeletal as the rest of his body. He was swathed in blankets but was still shivering, his entire body withered away. Katana knelt at his side, brushing his grey hair away from his eyes.

"What has happened to you, brother?" Katana whispered in rhetoric. "Why has this happened to you?"

A weak smile stretched over Hakuai's sunken face. "I thought that I would be okay because of the antibodies," he whispered, speaking as loud as he dared. "But every action in this world has its consequence. As my cells were regenerating, it was eating at my body. I thought I would heal, but it seems I was foolish. My life has been shortened by what our clan did to me, and it seems that they still continue to harm me even now. I'm afraid that I have little more than several weeks to live before my body completely shuts down. I'm sorry, Nee-san."

"Why are you apologizing?" Katana whispered, eyebrows rising in sympathy. "This is my fault. I'm the reason that they sent a Rinji Seibutsu here. I'm the reason that you were hurt."

"Don't blame yourself," Hakuai murmured, struggling to lift his withered hand. He brushed her cheek and cast his eyes in the opposite direction. "I was going to die anyway. This is better because I won't suffer as long."

"Hakuai!" Katana stared at her brother, feeling tears begin to well in her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to worry you. I'm sorry."

They were silent for a long time, Katana gently smoothing her brother's hair away from his forehead. "Is there anything that I can do?" she said quietly, running her hand over her brother's sunken cheek.

"Just live on and fight against our clan," Hakuai rasped. "Remain alive and out of their clutches; the easiest way to harm them is to keep you away from them. You are the only one who can continue the kekkei genkai. Please do what you can."

"Of course, Hakuai," Katana said with a nod. "I will do everything in my power."

"Thank you, Nee-san." Hakuai coughed faintly and shuddered within his blankets.

"He needs to rest, Katana," Amaya said gently from behind her. "His condition is critical and every ounce of energy is precious. I'm trying to prolong his life as much as possible."

"I know," Katana whispered, gently kissing Hakuai's forehead. She rose to her feet and gave her brother one final glance before turning and walking away. "Why must bad things always happen to good people? Hakuai doesn't deserve any of this."

"I'm sorry, Katana," Amaya said sorrowfully, resting her hand on the older kunoichi's shoulder. "It would be better if you left this place."

"We're leaving tomorrow morning," Katana said, fighting to gain control of her emotions. "Prepare yourself if you still want to join us." Katana didn't wait for a response and she began striding down the tunnel, leaving her brother and Amaya behind. She walked briskly through the cave, keeping her jaw set and her mouth in a firm line. She walked into the area of the cave they had been given and Neji looked up at her from a scroll he was writing on. They looked at each other in silence for a moment before Neji noticed the single tear running from Katana's right eye.

Neji rose to his feet and walked over to her, knowing that she was struggling to keep herself from cracking. They stood in front of each other and Katana leaned her head forward and rested it on Neji's shoulder, her body shaking slightly. Neji set his hands on her shoulders and slowly slid his arms around her, feeling her tightly embrace him with her own arms. She shuddered and pressed herself against his chest, hands gripping the back of his shirt.

"We'll leave first thing in the morning," Neji said quietly, gently stroking her hair. "That way you won't have to suffer from the discomfort in this place."

"Thank you, Hyuuga," Katana breathed into his shoulder, sniffing and pulling herself back together. She lifted her head and looked up into his pale eyes, feeling the last of her tears roll down her face.

"Just hold out for today," Neji replied gently, lifting his hand and wiping her tears away. "Is there anything that could take your mind off the situation?"

Katana let a smirk tug at her lips and relaxed her grip on the back of Neji's shirt. "Train with me."

* * *

"Is that everything?"

"Yes, so are you ready to go?"

Katana lifted her rucksack then promptly set it down, sighing. "We have to find Amaya. She said she wanted to come back with us."

"Hn." Neji was clearly displeased with the idea.

"I'll go look for her."

"No," Neji said firmly, dropping his shoulder bag onto the ground near the wall. "She will most likely be where your brother is. And if that isn't the case, I can easily locate her." He tapped his temple, referring to his Byakugan. "I will be back as soon as I can." He strode quickly out of the room and Katana could sense his irritation.

Katana sat down beside her rucksack and sighed, having nothing to do until Neji returned. She reached her hands behind her and began to scrape her hair back into her typical bun, holding the hair tie in her teeth.

"Don't put your hair up," a voice said from the entrance of the room. Katana's head snapped to the direction of the voice and her mouth fell open slightly, the tie slipping from her teeth. "You're pretty to begin with, but you're even more beautiful with your hair down."

"Sen," Katana whispered, feeling her chest tighten. She released her hair and set her jaw. "I'm not pretty, Sen. I don't know why you think that. I've never seen a beautiful person with scars." Katana scraped her hair away from the left side of her face, baring the scar that ran from the corner of her eye to her jaw line, a momentum from her eldest brother.

"You shouldn't think so lowly of yourself," Sentaku murmured, walking into the room. "But I didn't come here to discuss your looks." Katana rose to her feet and locked his eyes, keeping her face expressionless. "Are you really going to leave?"

"Yes, as soon as Hyuuga gets back," Katana said somewhat coldly. She had hoped to depart without Sentaku taking notice so she wouldn't have to deal with him. It seemed current events spread through the cave like the common cold.

Sentaku stared at the ground and folded his arms over his chest, his eyes heavily shadowed. "You weren't even going to tell me?" he hissed, looking up at her icily. "You seriously are going to leave this place behind?"

"There is nothing more for me here," Katana retorted. "I've done what I could and have completed my mission. There is no reason for me to prolong my stay."

"But you can't just leave," Sentaku cried, lifting head with a grim expression. "There is so much that you can help us with, Katana. We still need you. I still need you."

"Don't start this, Sen," Katana growled, balling her hands into fists. "You've gone on with life well enough for the past four years without me here."

"You don't understand," Sentaku snapped, fury contorting his face. "For the past four years I've waited for you. I waited every single day for you to come back. You made a promise that you would return, and I was beginning to think that you had broken your vow. I didn't think that you would come back, but I still waited for you. Do you know how many people called me crazy and told me to stop? Do you know what mockery I endured? It was all for you, Katana. I was the only one besides my brother, Saishou, that believed you would return. I cared so much about you, Katana. I was so worried that you had died, and to see you come back was the happiest moment I've had in a while. You just can't walk away from me."

"This isn't all about you, Sen," Katana muttered with contempt. "I'm a kunoichi of Konohagakure and I have other obligations. My life doesn't revolve around you and I have the right to do what I want. I don't belong to you the way you once believed."

Sentaku cast his gaze to the ground, brow knitted and breath harsh. "What about Hakuai? You would leave your own brother behind? If you won't stay for me, stay for him."

Katana's fists relaxed and she looked away. "Hakuai is beyond all help in his condition. He will die before long and that will cause me only more pain. It would be better if I wasn't near him and I left. We only remind each other of our pasts, pasts that we wish to forget. If I were to take him with me, it would be even worse. There is nothing for Hakuai in Konohagakure, only sick memories of what he once was and what he could have been. Besides, our clan may want him dead, and I would lead him into their clutches. I've caused him enough distress already."

Sentaku took several steps forward and Katana kept here gaze on him, watching his every move. "You can't leave, Katana," he said firmly as if issuing an order.

"Who are you to decide what I can and cannot do?"

"I thought, once long ago, that you told me you loved me."

Katana's eyes flashed with a cold glare, hands curling into fists again. "I was young and foolish when I said those words. I now know that those words shouldn't be thrown around so carelessly. It was a long time ago when I told you that."

"So you didn't mean it?"

"No, I didn't."

Sentaku suddenly closed the distance between them, forcing Katana to back up until she was backed against a wall. "Are you leaving this place to be with that  
Hyuuga?"

"And what if I am?" Katana daringly challenged, staring up at Sentaku's face high above her. "What are you going to do about it?"

Sentaku leaned down so he was eye level with her, Katana reaching for a kunai in her leg holster. "So this is your choice? You would chose to leave people to truly care about you for some white-eyed monster?"

"He's not a monster," Katana snarled, but Sentaku didn't flinch or move away. "He cares about me far more that you or anyone here ever will."

"He will only cause you pain," Sentaku said with a morbid tone. "Think of what they did to you before. Who's to say that they won't do it again?"

"It was an illusion. That never happened, so I couldn't possibly have a repeat performance."

"I will let you think things over," Sentaku growled, returning to his full height. "Decide whether you want to play it safe and stay with me, or risk losing your pride and dignity with that soulless creature." He turned and began to walk away.

"That's a choice I don't need to think twice about," Katana hissed bitterly, making Sentaku pause. "I would never stay here with you. You've changed too much from the innocent, gentle boy you used to be. I'll, as you seem to think, take my chances with Hyuuga. I'm never going to let someone like you cloud my mind again."

"Someone like me?"

"Someone with only one thing on their mind."

Sentaku spun around rapidly and ran back to her. Katana darted to the side, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back, pinning her against the wall with her arms held over her head. "You can't feel that much hate towards me," Sentaku hissed, moving his face close to hers again. "You aren't resisting."

"If I fought back with my full power, I would kill you," Katana hiss from between gritted teeth. Her body was tense, preparing to burst into action from any movement the older boy made. "Let me go."

"You don't know exactly how much I've changed, Katana," Sentaku murmured, breathing on her face. "You wouldn't be able to fight me off even if you wanted to. Even if you're a ninja, the laws of physics are against you. I'm far larger that you, so your odds of keeping me at bay are slim. Just give in. Say you want to stay."

"I'm warning you," Katana threatened, resisting all instincts to tear him to shreds. "I'll give you one more chance to release me."

"Don't worry," he whispered huskily, bringing his face even closer. "I'll make you release."

Repulsed, Katana sunk a kick firmly into his stomach and ran toward the tunnels. The kick hadn't been anything close to what she could have done; a full powered kick would have ruptured every organ in his abdomen. He didn't have a developed chakra network, making his body weaker than any other shinobi's. Yet he was still strong and wasn't detained by the blow for long. He raced after Katana, wrapping his arms around her from behind and pulling her to the ground.

"Stop! Let go of me, Sentaku!" Katana writhed in his grasp, trying to escape by any means possible.

"You can't leave here," he growled. "I won't let you."

Katana rolled over and sunk a solid hook punch into his jaw, hastily rising to her feet as Sentaku struggled to recover. He caught her ankle and Katana nearly lost her balance, only stumbling moderately. She moved to bury her heel into his nose when he pulled her back down onto the ground, her head hitting the floor hard. Pinpoints of light burst in front of her eyes and Katana shuddered, feeling Sentaku move up beside her.

"Are you in pain?" Sentaku growled with mockery. There as no sympathy in his voice. "You shouldn't have resisted me."

"This doesn't hurt," Katana said, feeling her face press into the dirt floor of the cave. _Why is Hyuuga taking so long? I can't hold out for that much longer. I can stall him as best I can, but it isn't going to work forever. _She whipped around and threw herself at the older boy, throwing him backwards. She knelt over him, hands on his throat and bloodlust in her eyes. "I finally had enough. I'm done with people thinking that they can take advantage of me. I'm not going to let anyone think that they can violate me again. I don't belong to anyone but me."

"You're so foolish, it's almost funny," Sentaku whispered with an amused smirk. He wrapped one of his arms around her and flipped over, pinning Katana beneath him. She swiped at him, but his arms rolled her over, resting her on her stomach and pressing her face into the ground again.

And she couldn't escape this time. She thrashed and writhed, kicked and fought, screamed and aimed blows, but Sentaku was laying most of his weight on her back and she was unable to move enough to attack him. Despair began to clutch at Katana's chest and her attempts to free herself became more and more wild and vicious. She used her chakra, trying to strengthen her limbs to be able to release his hold on her, but the heavy breathing in her ear made concentration impossible. Katana refused to give up, but it wasn't long before she realized that it was futile.

"Shush, shush," Sentaku breathed into her ear, shattering all of her thoughts. "I'll try not to hurt you too badly." Katana shuddered as one of his hands ran down her side and she fought back as hard as she could, but Sentaku only tightened his grip on her. "Stop moving and it will be over all the more quickly."

"NO, SENTAKU! LET ME GO!"

"Release her!"

Sentaku's head snapped to the entrance of the area and his eyes widened. Neji dashed forward, wrenching the older boy off of Katana by the back of his shirt neckline. He threw Sentaku up against a wall, his palm glowing fiercely in the dimness of the room. Neji powerfully thrust his palm into Sentaku's chest without hesitation, fury plainly evident on his features. Sentaku's face displayed a silent scream as the chakra tore through him before he slumped to the ground, countenance frozen in its shocked expression.

Neji turned to Katana and knelt at her side, taking the side of her face in his hand as she shakily rose to her hands and knees. "Are you okay?" he asked in earnest concern, uncharacteristic of his usually icy demeanor. Katana took a shuddering breath and threw her arms around his neck, burying her face into his shoulder, fighting back her sobs of fear and relief.

"Why would he do that?!" she cried, voice muffled against Neji's shirt. "He said he cared! Why…? Why does this always happen to me? The same thing…every time."

"It's okay, Katana," Neji murmured quietly, gently encircling her with his arms. "Everything will be okay now. You've found a new life now, a life away from this place. Let's go and leave these memories behind." Katana nodded into his shoulder and rose to her feet with his assistance.

"I'm so sorry," Amaya gasped, biting her lip. "I kept Neji waiting because I wasn't done packing. I had no idea that this would happen." She trotted over to Sentaku's crumpled figure and pressed her fingers to his neck. "He's not dead, but should have permanent damage. He doesn't have powerful chakra, so Jyuuken doesn't have much affect other than shocking the organs. He'll live, but may have some digestion problems."

"I don't care," Katana said, picking up her rucksack and turning away. "Let's just go. Are you coming or not, Amaya?"

"Yes, just one moment." The younger girl powerfully kicked Sentaku in his side, making his body flop onto its back. "So much for my 'best friend'. Okay, we can go now."

* * *

Author Note: okay, not the best ending, but I don't feel so hot today. I've been a little down for the past few days... I think it's the rain we've been having, and the fact that my summer is going to be long and boring. Anyway, back to Konoha next chapter. I hope Neji wasn't too OOC... as I said, I'm not on the top of my game. I'm going to be starting a new story soon, just a little collection of songfic oneshots, but I want to write a few before posting them. Look out for that if you're interested. I haven't heard from many people again, but I guess I'm used to it now. Thank you to all the people who read, and extra thanks to the people who review. I don't own Naruto, just the usual. I hope you all hate Sentaku because I sure did, but I couldn't kill him... it's an inside thing. Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	36. Chapter 35: The Reason

Chapter 35: The Reason

They traveled through the forest as the sun rose above the horizon, leaping through the trees and every so often scanning the map that Katana still had to make sure that they were headed in the correct direction back to the Village. But as midday approached, Katana was aware of a growing weariness plaguing her body. She found that she needed her full attention in leaping to each tree branch, nearly slipping on several occasions when her concentration wavered. She was falling behind Neji and Amaya, her breathing becoming strained and her head beginning to spin.

"C-can we s-stop for a m-moment?" Katana stammered, halting on the branch she landed on, her limbs shaking as she stood motionless. She leaned against the trunk of the tree, unable to support her own weight abruptly.

"Is something wrong?" Neji questioned, returning to her side and gazing at her with a furrowed brow once he saw the state she was in.

"I don't know what…" Katana took a shuddering breath and lifted her hands weakly, the appendages violently trembling before her eyes. "I don't feel so good." Katana swayed precariously on the tree branch and Neji wrapped his arm around her before she could fall. He brought her out of the trees and lowered her to the ground, eliminating any risk of an accident caused by her falling.

"What's causing this?" Neji said as Katana sunk to her knees, staring at her shaking hands. He turned to Amaya, seeing the younger girl go into medic ninja mode and began analyzing Katana carefully.

"I've seen these symptoms several times before," Amaya said as she felt Katana's pulse on her wrist. "What did she eat yesterday?"

Neji gave Amaya a quizzical look but suddenly closed his eyes with a look of shame on his features. "That small boy, Sentaku's younger brother, gave me berries while Katana was unconscious. He said to give them to her once she woke. I should have been more careful." Neji opened his eyes and clenched his hands into fists. "I should have been more wary of anything associated with Sentaku."

"Don't blame yourself," Amaya said gently. Neji recomposed his stoic features and looked away with a drawn out breath. "Were the berries red or purple when they were given to you?"

"Red," Neji said curtly.

"Don't feel bad because you couldn't have done anything to stop this from happening unless you had prior knowledge. There is a berry in this area that is purple when ripe and should only be eaten at that time. Once they are overripe, they turn red and begin producing a chemical. If ingested, the chemical will be absorbed into the bloodstream and linger for several days. It is normally harmless, but if certain strong emotions release chemicals such as adrenalin or endorphins into the bloodstream, it will react with the chemical from the berries and form a low-grade poison. The poison isn't deadly in the least unless the berries were eaten in extensive amounts, but it shuts down synapses in the brain specific to movement, impairing the nervous system."

"Such emotions like fear and anger would release adrenalin, right?" Katana asked weakly, looked up at Amaya with a regretful expression. "That's why I couldn't fight him off." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Sentaku must have planned this. He knew I would grow angry if he approached me, so I would grow weaker the more I struggled. He basically…drugged me." She buried her face into her shaking hands. "How much longer is this going to last?"

"It depends," Amaya admitted. "It should probably be completely gone by this time tomorrow and the symptoms should fade by nightfall. Your chakra will filter through your blood and remove the last of the toxins soon. You will recover much faster than the normal people I've treated, so that's good news."

"But why is it still affecting her?" Neji inquired, noting the degree to which Katana's limbs trembled.

"The synapses are probably trying to reestablish their connections, so the messages are still jumbled and erratic," Amaya explained.

"We have to keep moving," Katana said softly, taking a shuddering breath. "We need to return to the Village soon."

"You can't continue in your condition," Amaya said with a slight shake of her head. "We should wait until tomorrow before we continue. That way you'll be at full strength and we can make up for lost time."

"But—"

"Don't argue, Katana," Neji said firmly. "You should rest anyway after what nearly happened."

"Don't remind me," Katana mumbled, staring at the ground from between her shaking hands. "That's why I want to keep moving. I want to as far away from here as possible."

"Sometimes running will only make your troubles worse," Neji said quietly. "They tend to chase very well and are always right behind you when you dare to look back. Calm yourself now and just focus on recovering. Things should be better tomorrow."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Neji opened his eyes slowly, staring up at the night sky from between the trees high above, hearing an owl hoot somewhere in the darkness. He propped himself up on his elbows and scanned the small clearing, hearing something shift next to him. He glanced over and saw that Katana's eyes were open and watching the nocturnal world around her, her arms folded behind her head.

"Have you been awake this entire time?" Neji inquired, inclining his head in her direction.

She shifted her gaze to focus on him, blinking several times before answering. "Yes, is there a problem with it?"

"You should be resting to recover," Neji replied quietly, the night making every noise seem loud. "Is there a reason for you to not want to sleep?"

Katana returned her gaze to the sky and she sighed wearily. "I'm afraid, Hyuuga. I don't know what will await me in the dream realms. Actually, if it interests you, I don't dream. I will either have no dreams at all…or I'll have nightmares. I know, because my mind is so troubled, that my sleep will be haunted with images of what has happened. I don't want to experience it again, so I just won't shut my eyes."

"That isn't particularly healthy for you."

"As if it makes any difference," Katana muttered. They fell into silence; the only sounds coming from the night and Amaya's gentle breathing. Shapes and shadows danced around the edges of the clearing, disappearing as soon as they appeared so it was undetermined whether they were real or just figments of the imagination. Katana abruptly sat up and looked down at her hands. She had removed her fingerless gloves earlier and her limbs had stopped shaking, but she looked solemnly at herself.

"Are you troubled by something?" Neji murmured into the night, glancing at Katana out of the side of his eyes.

"I've failed as a shinobi."

Neji was caught off guard by her words. "Why are you saying that?"

"Just look at me, Hyuuga. Look at all I've done and everything that has been done to me. I've broken ever rule of conduct that shinobi are supposed to abide by. I can't hide my emotions and I lose battles against ordinary people. I'm just…failing."

Neji rose and walked to her, sitting down adjacent to the kunoichi. "You couldn't fight Sentaku off because you were poisoned. That is easily justified, so you shouldn't worry about matters such as that. You could have defeated him easily if the circumstances were different."

"Fine, that may be true for that situation. But my emotions are taking control of me again. I used to be even colder than you are, able to endure almost anything without having any movement in my face. But now…the slightest disturbance cracks me. Shinobi are supposed to be blank-faced and steely. I shouldn't be this weak."

"There is no person alive that can entirely conform to what a shinobi should be. The only people who fit the description of a true shinobi are people like Sai. He was born and raised in the Anbu Root division where they destroyed all his emotions from the moment he was old enough to know what they were. And, since being around people like Naruto, even he is beginning to change slightly. Emotions are human experiences and no one can fight them off entirely. We can create masks to hide what we feel, constructing façades of what we should be, but our true selves always linger just beneath the surface ready to be exposed should our masks slip. I'm known for my emotionless nature, but on the inside, I'm no different from anyone else. I struggle with emotions as well. I'm just better at hiding it than most people."

"But you can keep things hidden. I try, but I can't. All that I'm thinking just leaks out whenever it comes to my mind. I've had just as rigorous training as you to hide my emotion, possibly with even worse methods, and yet you still keep yourself as stoic as a closed door. Why is that?"

"I haven't endured the drastic experiences you have," Neji murmured. "Considering what you've been through, you have retained yourself quite well. I don't think any other female I know could have withstood the experiences you have without losing themselves."

Katana didn't respond immediately and continued to stare at her hands. "I'm not a perfect person, I understand that," she whispered under her breath. "I just wish I could be slightly better than I am. If only one of my many flaws was mended, then maybe things would be better. It's like my scars." She held her right hand out toward him. "Every scar I have reminds me of an experience where I got hurt. I just wish that I could erase a few of these marks and make the memories be forgotten; I may be a little stronger then. The scar you see before you is the only one I'm proud of. Do you remember how I got it?"

"I was there?" Neji watched her nod and studied her palm carefully. It was a burn scar, but Neji shook his head. "I don't recall you receiving a burn."

"I didn't really expect you to remember," Katana said, casting her eyes down and pulling her hand back toward her. "Do you remember, it was awhile ago, you were attacked by my uncle? You were poisoned and I sent one of my dragons to search for a flower."

"I do remember that occurrence," Neji said with a slight nod. "But why are you proud of that scar?"

"You had stopped breathing and I had my dragon set the flower on fire in my hand. I saved your life that day… That's why I'm proud. This scar doesn't remind me of pain, it reminds me of a time of hope and relief."

"I bandaged your hand after you received that wound, didn't I?" Neji said with a gentle smirk. "I remember now. That was before we knew each other well. Look how much has changed now."

"I still held hatred for you back then. But now…"

Neji met her eyes for a moment before looking away. She pulled her zippered sweater tighter around her shoulders, the torn fabric in the back stretching. Amaya mumbled in her sleep and rolled over, grumbling something about "annoying little kids".

"We should get some rest," Katana said, finding something to fill the awkward silence.

"Will you sleep?"

"I will try. My thoughts are calmer now, thanks to you." Katana settled herself down on her side, trying to ignore the Hyuuga's faint smirk. She was tired and watched him between drooping eyelids, hearing him shift as he laid down. "Thank you, Hy—" He glanced at her as her words were stopped. "Thank you, Neji."

Neji watched her close her eyes slowly and exhale gently. She hadn't called him by his first name since their first mission at the rebel stronghold. Looking at the sky and smirking slightly, Neji closed his own eyes. Her meaning was clear: "Hyuuga" was a general term, "Neji" was specific. He was more than just any normal shinobi to her.

* * *

"Look! Look!"

Amaya raced forward as the Village Gates came into sight, eager to return to the place she hadn't seen in years. Energetic as a small puppy, she urged Neji and Katana to hasten their pace to match hers as she sprinted forward and paused every now and then to allow them to catch up. She bounced on the balls of her feet as she waited, jittery and squealing every so often.

"Calm down, Amaya," Katana said with an irritated tone. "You may not even like what you see when you get there, so take your time and_ stop bouncing_. You look ridiculously like a kid on a sugar high."

"But I haven't been here in years!" Amaya argued playfully, giving a smile as an apology. "Weren't you like this when you came back?"

"No," Katana said curtly with growing annoyance. "It was the middle of the night and I didn't have any sweet memories to bring me through the Gates skipping and singing. Unlike yourself, I have painful memories of this Village. Just don't lose your head before we get there."

Amaya did her best to calm herself, resorting to walking only several paces ahead of the others as they returned down the long dirt road leading into the Village. Neji was giving Amaya a cold stare that she was unaware of and he wondered why he had ever agreed to let her join them on their return trip. As they got closer, Amaya's enthusiasm began growing again and she suddenly stepped in front of them, walking backwards to face them as she talked.

"So, first we're going to the Hokage to report in and stuff, right? I can introduce myself and get reinstated and all that jazz, so then I can—"

"Just watch where you're going, Amaya," Katana muttered, watching as she nearly ran into a shinobi leaving the Village, hearing him grumble coldly at the younger girl. A dark haired shinobi was slowly making his way out of the Village, noting Amaya's lack of attention and pausing. "Turn back around and watch out."

"Aw, but Katana, I need to— AH!"

Amaya's heel caught on a raised flagstone and she tripped, stumbling and falling backwards. The dark haired shinobi rushed forward and caught her, his face hovering over the younger girl's. Her cheeks turned bright scarlet as her blue eyes locked the greenish-black gaze of the shinobi until Katana gasped.

"Riki?"

"Oh, hello, Katana," he said in acknowledgement, breaking eye contact with Amaya.

"What are you doing here?"

"Catching your fried apparently," Riki said with a grin as he looked down at Amaya. "Be careful of where you walk next time."

"Y-y-yeah. I w-will." Amaya turned even redder as Riki assisted her to stand straight, bashfully stealing glances at him. "Thank you."

"It's no problem," Riki replied smoothly, his grin stretching wider.

"Did you dye your hair?" Katana cut in, scrutinizing Riki carefully. Neji looked to the Village in annoyance; Amaya had been far too excited to return to the Village, but now she was rooted to her spot and Katana seemed troubled by Riki's appearance. Now he was the one eager to get moving.

"Me?" Riki questioningly pointed to himself at Katana's inquiry. "No, I haven't, but it is darker, isn't it? The same thing's been happening to my eyes as well. I don't know what's up, but I think it has something to do with a mark I have on my chest. I'm just going on a simple mission today, so I'll tell you more about it tomorrow if you want. But I have to go, and…Neji looks like he doesn't want to be here." Riki respectfully inclined his head with a submissive expression. He had learned his lesson to respect the Hyuuga. "By the way, what's your name?"

"M-me?" Amaya said breathlessly, her elation evident on her face. "Amaya Ikazuchi."

"Well, nice to see everyone." Riki gave a nod and a wave before striding down the path, leaving the others to continue on.

Neji walked next to Katana as Amaya began to speed up again and he leaned down to speak into the kunoichi's ear. "You complain about not being able to conceal your emotions, but be glad you're not like Amaya. If you think you wear your heart on your sleeve, then she wears her heart on her forehead."

"Did you just make a joke?"

"That depends on how you take it."

* * *

"Where is he? You said he'd be here by now."

"He can be late sometimes. I remember that from when we were genin: he had no sense of punctuality."

Amaya paced back and forth in front of where Katana sat, looking nervously around every other second as they waited for Riki to arrive. "Tell me again what you think is wrong with him."

Katana sighed and rolled her eyes. "I've told you three times already. He was with me when the first Rinji Seibutsu was sent after me and got hit with an attack. I thought I had healed him, but it seems that I missed part of the dark energy that was transferred into him. It would be sealed into him, so I rationalized that you could release the seal and heal him. The dark energy has changed his appearance and most likely affected his ability to use jutsu."

"You're right about that," Riki's voice called as he stepped forward from between the trees, Amaya instantly freezing and blushing brightly. "Hello, ladies. I have actually been getting weaker it seems and I've been given less important missions. Is my prognosis grim?" He gave Amaya a lopsided grin and raised one of his eyebrows, making the younger girl nearly hyperventilate.

"It will be a lot worse if you keep that smirk on your face," Katana said as she rose to her feet, her words wiping the smile off of Riki's features. "Take off your shirt. This is a serious matter, Riki, so don't goof off."

"Alright, alright," Riki muttered, pulling his shirt over his head. Amaya was twirling the loose end of her new leaf headband, which she wore in a way similar to Sakura, nervously, averting her eyes as Katana stepped up to Riki to examine the black marking on the middle of his chest. It spread out from one point, thin lines that ended in sharp points seeming to clutch his pectoral muscles as they extended outward.

"This was defiantly made by a Rinji Seibutsu's attack," Katana mused, turning to Amaya. "Take into consideration that the seal has been active for a while and that it has elements related to demons and dark energy. Do what you can to release it."

Amaya took a deep breath, weaving hand seals slowly as she approached Riki. Her hands shimmered blue and she pressed them over the black seal, the marking shuddering over Riki's skin. Riki snapped his eyes shut and winced as the seal writhed and began to shrivel. He gave a grunt and the seal froze, shuddered once, and faded away, leaving his chest unmarred. Almost instantly, his hair lightened to its previous light brown and his eyes were bright green once he opened them.

"Well, I need to be going," Katana said to break the awkward silence. "I'll leave you two to talk."

"Where are you going?" Amaya said, nervous to be left alone so suddenly.

"Neji asked me to train with him. I can't keep him waiting. Take care you two, and I'm relieved that you're better, Riki. I may see you soon, but if not…just be well." Katana shot off to a different training field, knowing Amaya and Riki would get along well. Riki would finally meet someone that he deserved.

* * *

Twilight was coloring the sky an array of various hues, and Katana was still alone. She stared at the ground, wondering if Neji had decided not to come and she was waiting for nothing. It wasn't his nature to not show, much less be late, but Katana speculated that there was a reason that for his delay…or absence. She sighed and brushed the jewel on her choker, planning to wait until dark if he didn't come. But she soon sensed his chakra approaching and relief washed over her.

"You're late," she said as he entered the clearing, looking at him coldly. "But," Katana let a smirk break her icy countenance, "better late than never." It was then that she realized his morbid expression.

"I'm sorry for my delay. I had a meeting with the head of the Main Branch." His tone was quiet and held regret.

"It's okay. Let's not waste any more time if you want to train. Or did you just come to say why you were late?"

"No, I came to discuss something with you," Neji murmured, not meeting her eyes. "Usually a meeting is only held with the entire clan…but this meeting was between my uncle and myself. It was about you."

Katana felt her throat constrict. "What do you mean? Should I be worried?"

Neji was silent and he looked away, strengthening Katana's uneasiness. "My uncle…forbid me from ever meeting with you again."

Katana stared at him blankly, feeling as if she was hollow. "What are you talking about? He can't do that. Can he? And, more importantly, why?"

"Hiashi-sama has become aware that I have been spending time with you and has somehow culled information about your clan. He was thoroughly angered with what he found, and he said it would be better if I stayed away from you. He fears that you will negatively influence me or possibly cause me harm."

"And you believed him? You think that I'm a bad influence? You know I'm different than the others of my clan. Why didn't you argue?"

"I did argue, Katana, and it almost ended my life." Neji clenched his hands into fists, setting his mouth in a hard line. "I told him what you are actually like, I told him that he was wrong. But Hiashi-sama is very obstinate when his mind is set, and he wouldn't accept a word I said. I've never been disrespectful to him before…and he was enraged by my actions."

"But you're going against him, aren't you? You are with me now."

"If I was discovered, I would be punished severely, Katana. I can't fight against my clan as easily as you can. I can be put through worse tortures than death for my disobedience. But I just needed to tell you what had happened."

"But why? Why would…? What can be done to you? If you are so against your clan, why don't you just break away?"

"They would kill me, Katana. Or worse." Neji angrily pulled his headband from his forehead, baring the pale green mark branded into his flesh. "As long as I am bound as a member of the Branch Family, I can do no wrong upon pain of tortures that would make me wish I could leave this world. I've seen it happen to my father; I know what it entails. The Main Branch rules by fear, and I can do nothing in my power to fight them."

Katana stared at the mark on his forehead until he retied his headband with a contemptuous expression. She hung her head and breathed weakly, fighting against the rising urge to let her welling tears spill down her cheeks. She looked up, knowing her eyes were glistening brightly in the fading light. Neji still didn't meet her gaze and she felt herself begin to shake. He turned his back and hung his head, his voice drifting to her over his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Katana," he said, his voice holding his sorrow. "I need to be returning to my clan. Please try to find a way to forgive me."

"You can't just walk away, Neji," Katana whispered, taking a step toward his departing figure. "You can't leave without…" Katana rushed forward and threw her arms around his shoulders, pressing herself to his back. "I can't let you go like this. I'm a filthy hypocrite, but I have to say this: I—"

"Please don't make this harder for me than it already is," Neji said through gritted teeth. He turned around and cupped one side of Katana's face with his hand, finally locking her eyes. "I've put you though so much pain, but I never meant it."

"I know that, Neji," Katana murmured, leaning her cheek gently into his hand and resting her own hands over his. "I've done the same. I just…"

"Before I go, I want you to know one thing," Neji said softly, inclining his head so their foreheads touched and he closed his eyes as if pained. "Before we went on this mission to that other village, you had attacked me because of a genjutsu your clan put you under. I had stayed away from you for a time, and I told you I had a reason. I want you to know what that reason was. Over time, I've been experiencing something I had great difficulty identifying when I was with you. Although I was angered occasionally, you always did something to lessen my anger. I finally identified what it was I was feeling and I was…frightened. I needed the first chance I could get to stay away from you, but once you apologized I knew I was foolish to try and deny myself. I realized that I was…developing feelings for you, Katana."

"Neji…" Katana whispered, seeing his brow furrow. She was frozen, hardly believing that the words had actually left his lips. Everything seemed to fall into place, every gesture and word held a new meaning. If only she had known sooner, if only she had had more time. "I feel the same way. I…I know that love is a strong word, but—"

"We shouldn't be speaking like this," Neji murmured. "Can you possibly forget what I've said? I just needed you to know…in case I never see you again."

Katana ran her hand over the side of his face, drawing if closer to hers. "If you need me to forget, I can try. How much do I need to erase from my memory?"

"Everything."

"What? I—"

"Katana, it hurts me terribly to do this; I can't begin to think of what it will do to you. I've been changed, but no one can know. Please, Katana. This is for our safety. I just need you to understand. I care about you more than anyone else I've ever met. If you can't forget, keep it in your memory for yourself and yourself alone."

Katana felt a single tear roll down her cheek and Neji wiped it away. "I'll do what I can. Just keep this side of yourself reserved for my presence. I would do anything for you." She carefully drew him down towards her slightly and she gently pressed her lips to his cheek, fighting back the tears that were almost upon her. "Are you positive we won't be able to meet?"

"My clan has their ways and I will no doubt be supervised. My every action will be watched and every whereabout known. I've seen it done before. I can't fight it. Thank you for everything that you have done. I won't say goodbye; it's far too final. Until we meet again, Katana Suterusu. Even if we have to wait until the afterlife." Neji tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. "And if it is at all possible for me, I will do what I can to meet with you if I can somehow remain undetected by my clan."

"I will remember this, Neji Hyuuga. I will always be waiting for you. I love you."

He suddenly shot out of the clearing, leaving Katana alone. She sunk to the ground, feeling empty and broken. She had never seen Neji like this, and now he was gone. She let the tears fall from her eyes, but as she looked after the space in which he had vanished from view, she set her jaw. He had changed and shown her a side that she had never expected of the stoic Hyuuga. He was correct about his emotions; he felt everything a normal human experienced but was only better a disguising it. If he chose to shed that disguise, he was just like everyone else. Katana was determined to meet with him again, no matter what it cost. She wiped the tears from her eyes and touched her cheek where his hand had been. They were the last tears she would cry. It was a time to change, a time to start over new for the both of them, and their reason was each other.

* * *

Author Note: THE FIC AIN'T OVER SO DON'T THINK THAT THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER!!! Okay, I really really really want feedback on the ending. I know, scream OOC at me, tell me all the stuff that could have been done, tell me all the flaws, but I just want to know how it was. I worked the whole day on this chapter, and its really late, so the ending is going to be bad. Sorry people. Anyway, different references to different chapters throughout this chap. I'm not one to write sappy happy endings, but the ending isn't upon us yet. I like twists, but PLEASE tell me how this twist was. I hate writing confessions. I had something else entirely planned out, but as I have mentioned before, this story writes itself sometimes. And I don't think that many people read these notes... anyway if you do read them, I'm telling you I want you to review. I've finally reached over 100, hoo-rah for me. I SOOO want to know how I did. I'm open to flames even if they make me want to cry in a corner, but the only way I can get better is if I know what I'm doing wrong. Thanks to everyone and I own nothing from Naruto, just the usual. Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	37. Chapter 36: Road to Nowhere

Chapter 36: Road to Nowhere

Katana jolted awake, eyes flashing open and a sharp inhale passing her lips. She looked wildly around, disoriented by the dream she had been enduring. There was a loud snore from the other room, and Katana sighed as she relaxed her tense muscles, identifying Anko as the source of the noise. The sun was slowly bleeding light into the sky, the dawn sluggishly claiming the previously dormant world. Katana stared at the ceiling, struggling to separate her dreams from the reality of the night before. She longed to close her eyes and submit to the torturous nightmares her sleep was plagued with, but knew she needed to define what had actually happened and what her nightmare had warped.

Sitting up, Katana looked out the window, feeling a sinking sensation in her stomach. She could distinctly remember what Neji had said, the words beginning to show their true effects. She was forbidden to see him for reasons that were not her fault, false accusations and misunderstandings altering her true nature. The Hyuuga Clan wouldn't see reason, and Katana could hardly blame them. They had every right to fear her clan, they had every right to want to separate their best shinobi from the demons of her family. But Katana was not one of them. She was the outcast, accepted by no one and hated by all. All except Neji and Anko. But only the Crazy Snake Lady was left for her now.

Katana set her feet on the floor and sat on the edge of the futon, staring at the floor as her thoughts whirled. She set her jaw and stood up, changing into her typical attire quickly and heading out of the apartment swiftly, carrying no weapons. She bolted out into the crisp morning air, springing over rooftops to reach the training fields in minimal time. She searched for the chakra flare that she was so familiar with, scanning the wide range of fields before detecting the slightest essence at the edge of one of the furthest training fields.

She leaped into the trees, taking as little time as possible to cover the distance between her position and the chakra flare. But as she neared the source of the energy, she realized that it had the same base as Neji's chakra, but it was different in several ways. Katana reached the training field and paused in the tree, catching her breath in great gasps before she dared reveal herself to the owner of the chakra flare. She couldn't be sure if the person was docile and would not attack her; she knew that it wasn't Neji.

Slinking through the foliage, Katana carefully crept closer to the person, eventually perching on a branch just outside a clearing. The single person had his back turned, his dark hair trailing slightly past his shoulders. He turned slowly and looked up, Byakugan activated and stared directly at Katana. She lowered herself to the ground and stepped up to the Hyuuga, noting that he tensed with every step she took.

"It seems that Neji and Hiashi-sama were correct about your haste to test how serious we were," the Hyuuga said coldly, taking an uneasy step back as Katana stopped only several feet adjacent to him.

"Where is Neji?" Katana said without addressing that he had spoken.

"As if I would tell you. I'm sure you were told that we would keep him away from you by all means possible. Even the Hokage has been told and she has made sure that you two will never be placed on the same team for missions."

"Why do you do this to me? What do you know about me? What gives you the thought that I'm the same as the rest of my clan? Why must you stereotype me as being like the rest of them? Why do you hate me when I've done nothing wrong?"

"You have done us wrong," the Hyuuga snapped, his hand sliding toward his leg holster. "Neji is one of the strongest in the clan and you've tampered with his mind. He was always impervious to the effect of emotions, but ever since he's met you he's been unable to focus on what's important in his career as a shinobi. You will be the downfall of him if you continue distracting him. It's better for the both of you this way."

"Do you seriously expect me to believe that?" Katana growled, watching the Hyuuga flinch and loosen a kunai from his leg holster. "No one had any consideration for me when the decision was made. Neji is the only one you wish to protect, but what are you protecting him from? I can do him no harm. He once told me that emotions are a human experience and can't be denied completely. Separating us will do nothing."

The Hyuuga gave a tight, mocking laugh. "You think he it matters to him if you're together or not? He's already pushed you out of his mind. He cares nothing for you anymore, so don't bother believing that he would care if you met again. Neji has much more important matters to dwell on."

Katana kept the Hyuuga's gaze, glaring into his white eyes to detect any trace of a lie. But she didn't know the Hyuuga and ruled him unreadable, unable to uncover any signs that he was telling the true or lying. Katana took a step forward and the Hyuuga, in turn, stepped back.

"You speak quite defiant words for being so fearful," Katana murmured coldly. The Hyuuga pulled a kunai and held it at his side, watching her every move closely. "You don't need to be afraid of me. I'm not like the others of my clan; I don't kill ruthlessly for sport or simply because someone angers me. I've grown out of that."

"I don't think I'll take my chances," the Hyuuga bitterly spat with mockery, returning his kunai to its holster. "I'll give you a warning. Don't try to meet with Neji again. It won't be me supervising him next time, and they won't let you off so easily. We've been given orders to dispose of you if you make any advances that can be identified as 'threatening'. Neji will have no contact with you, that I can tell you is certain. For once in his life, he is the one receiving protection instead of giving it. You should be happy. Because of you, the caged bird is finally getting a taste of freedom."

Katana's eyes narrowed and the Hyuuga gave a cold laugh. He wove several hand seals and vanished in a puff of smoke. Katana looked up at the sky and sighed heavily. They were not joking or taking any shortcuts; the Hyuuga Clan was determined to keep them apart. Katana turned and began a slow walk back to the main area of the Village, head bowed and eyes on the ground. She heard a loud squawk and looked up to the sky, spotting a bird rapidly circling above the trees over her head. It dove and landed on her shoulder, chirping in her ear before taking off into the air again. The Hokage's messenger birds only directly confronted the ninja they were sent to retrieve if the mission was urgent, and Katana quickened her pace to the Hokage's Tower. She hoped that the mission would take her mind off the current situation.

* * *

The three ninja from the previous Cell Eight stood before Tsunade, patiently waiting for their team leader to arrive. The silence stretched between the four of them as the minutes dragged on, Tsunade growing more and more impatient as she rapidly tapped her finger against her desk. There was a knock on the door and Tsunade curtly allowed entry.

"You're sense of punctuality is never the best when I call you for a mission," the Hokage snapped, picking up the mission scroll from her desk. "Just get in here so you can get briefed and on your way."

"My apologies," Katana murmured as she stepped up to the desk, glancing at the collected team. Kiba gave her a grin; Akamaru's tail wagging as he stood beside his master. Hinata and Shino gave her nods of acknowledgment, but turned their attention to the Hokage as she began to speak.

"It's a relatively simple mission, but it must be done swiftly. The Daimyo needs one of his sons to be escorted to the Wind Country boarder. You are to meet him at a given point the Daimyo specified by noon today. The meeting point will take you most of the morning to reach, so you should leave as soon as you can. The Daimyo's son can be reckless and impulsive, and is very outspoken. Just keep him out of trouble and make sure he doesn't get hurt. Get him to his destination safely and your mission is complete. I should also tell you that the boy is the main target of a bandit gang. Take them out if it is at all possible. Now, get going or you're going to be late."

Katana nodded and took the mission scroll, heading swiftly to the door with her team flanking her. They left the Hokage's Tower and Katana turned to the three, ignoring Kiba's grin. "Is everyone prepared, or do any of you need to pick up any supplies? Tell me quickly so we can leave as soon as possible."

Hinata had a panicked look on her face and blushed brightly. "I-I-I'm sorry, b-but I think I l-left something at my clan complex." She fidgeted nervously as Katana held her gaze.

"Be swift and get it," Katana muttered as she turned away. "Meet me at the Village Gates when you are ready." She shot off through the Village, knowing that it wasn't the best choice for her to go near the Hyuuga complex.

* * *

Neji silently walked through the halls of the Hyuuga complex, struggling to conquer his seething anger. He had not been expecting the strictness of his clan and was thoroughly embarrassed. He had been given a supervisor as if he were a small child that would go wrong. He had been ordered to leave the training field once his supervisor identified the approaching chakra that could only belong to Katana. He wandered in the general direction of his room, and nearly collided with Hinata as she turned a corner.

"N-Neji-niisan!" she stuttered, her eyes widening and face acquiring a gentle blush. "I'm sorry."

"It is not a problem," Neji said dismissively as he began to walk away. He paused however as Hinata kept her eyes on him for a moment. "Is there something you need, Hinata-sama?"

"No, I just…" she looked down and clasped her hands together. "I'm going on a mission with Katana. I just…"

Neji blinked in momentary surprise before his anger took over. Though he kept his face emotionless as his thoughts spun. _Why is Hiashi so strict about me, yet he allows Hinata to be in Katana's presence? Why am I the one that must be kept under watch when Hinata, one of the Main Branch, has no restrictions? They believe that they are freeing me by giving me "protection", but I only feel as if my cage is being reinforced. _Neji was about to storm off when an idea came to his mind. He gripped Hinata's arm and she looked up in fear, gasping slightly.

"Please, wait here for a moment. I will be right back." Neji released her arm and darted through the complex, rapidly arriving at his room. He retrieved the object he was seeking and returned to his cousin without any further delay, extending the object out to her. "Would you do me a favor, Hinata-sama? Please give this scroll to Katana for me, but don't let your action be known. Make sure that she is the only one to see this scroll other than yourself and I."

"Oh, o-okay." Hinata shyly took the scroll and tucked it away into her waist pouch. Neji nodded and watched his younger cousin continue down the hall, her progress quick as she ran off to collect her supplies to go on her mission. Neji exhaled and set off in the opposite direction in the complex, his thoughts elsewhere as he traversed the winding halls.

* * *

"We have to go faster," Katana called back to the three shinobi behind her, hastening her pace as she sprung through the trees.

"Faster?! No way! That's impossible!" Kiba cried as Akamaru gave a whine. The dog, as his master's mount, was leaped through the trees as fast as his four limbs could carry him and was growing tired. "You're going to run us to death!"

"Kiba's right," Hinata said breathlessly. "We can't run any faster than this. Our pace is hasty as it is."

"We need not go any faster than this," Shino muttered darkly, his voice only slightly strained as he sprinted over branches to stay behind Katana. "How do I know? Because the meeting point is close enough for us to arrive punctually. We may even be present before the specified time."

"Yeah, I know the Land of Fire like the back of my hand and I know the place isn't too far away," Kiba called. "You don't need to rush."

Katana sighed and slowed herself, allowing the other three to catch up. She had wanted to run faster than she was capable, hoping that it would warm the chilled feeling that saturated her down to her bones. She felt empty and alienated without Neji's familiar presence next to her, the sensations emphasized because of her earlier meeting with the other Hyuuga. Everything that she had felt seemed to freeze in her bloodstream, leaving only the icy revelation that everything was more serious that she had thought; the Hyuuga Clan was determined to guard Neji from her no matter the cost. She gave a heavy sigh and her foot caught on a branch, making her trip and nearly fall.

"Katana! Are you okay?" Kiba made Akamaru return to where Katana was clutching a branch to keep herself from falling. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Katana snapped, angrily rising to her feet. Hinata and Shino were staring back at her, Hinata's eyes holding concern. "I just wasn't paying attention."

"Are you sure that you're okay?" Kiba pressed further. "You look a little pale."

"I'm fine, just keep moving," Katana growled firmly and leaped off into the branches. She cursed herself for being so foolish as to let her thoughts cloud her attention. Both her mind and body were being affected by the situation, breaking down by the consuming thoughts plaguing her. She was tired from not sleeping well the previous night and felt separated from the team she led; she hardly knew them besides meeting them several weeks prior.

"The meeting point is ahead," Kiba reported, sniffing the air. "And it seems that our client has already arrived." Hinata activated her Byakugan and affirmed the Inuzuka's statement. Katana descended through the branches easily and landed before a large stone pillar set between two large oak trees, the marker that signified the meeting point.

"Jeez, these Leaf ninja aren't very reliable, are they?" a young teenager in the small group scoffed. He was obviously the Daimyo's son; he was dressed in rich clothing and flanked by three guards. "And they have no respect for their superiors in the way they dress. I mean, what's with the short one's ripped jacket?"

Katana's eyes flashed coldly and she fought the urge to curl her lip in a snarl. She had not found the chance to purchase a new zippered sweater so she continued to wear the one that had been ripped by the Rinji Seibutsu's claws. Her back-plate apparatus had kept most of the tears hidden, but the frayed ends were still visible from beneath. The Daimyo's son quirked his eyebrow at her and rolled his eyes, looking to his guards.

"I guess I should be going then," he said to his guards as if it would be a painful experience. "I just hope that you four aren't as weird as your appearances suggest. But as ninja's come, the weirder they are, the stronger they are, right? Isn't that usually how it goes?"

"Just keep your head down, kid," Katana growled. "And if I'm yelling at you to run or duck, do as I say or you're going to die."

"Jeez, what's up your butt? You think you have the right to order me around?"

"Our mission is to protect you, so do as I say and you'll be safe. If I tell you to hide, then hide. If I tell you to run, then sprint like Akamaru, this dog, is chasing you. Otherwise—"

"Wow, how do you three put up with this bitch?" The Daimyo's son was ignoring Katana and addressing the others as if she couldn't hear him.

"Do you want to run that by me again?" Katana glared at his aloof expression as he turned back to her.

"I would prefer not to, thanks. I just know who not to request next time I need an escort."

"Don't push it, kid," Katana growled as she started off down one of the roads that led to the Wind Country. "I've had a rough day." _This is going to be a long mission._

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Hey, Katana," the Daimyo's son, he said that his name was Yutaka, spoke up. She had reluctantly told him her name, knowing he would only continue his mockery. "How did you get that scar on your face?"

"Don't ask questions that don't concern you," Katana muttered coldly.

"Jeez, I'm just trying to be friendly. Most people like to talk about the heroic ways they get scars. Unless you got that in a foolish way."

"No, this scar is a result of a…disagreement I got into. That is all you need to know. Now just shut up and keep walking."

"You know, you would be a cool person to hang around if you weren't so mean," Yutaka said loudly, clearly trying to annoy the kunoichi. "I'd even maybe date you if you were nicer and dressed neater."

"Shut it, kid," Katana growled. "You're out of line."

Kiba let out a laugh and clapped his hand on Yutaka's shoulder. "Do go after her. Trust me from experience: any forward attempts will end you up in the intensive care ward at the nearest hospital. Or you'll be sterilized. And, besides, she has a boyfriend."

Katana turned to look at Kiba. "What are you talking about? I don't have a boyfriend."

Kiba blinked in confusion. "Aren't you, like, dating Neji Hyuuga?"

"What gave you that idea?" Katana snapped, feeling her chest tighten. "Why would you assume such a thing?"

"Well, I…uh…" Kiba looked to Hinata and Shino for help, panicking as an infuriated look masked Katana's features. "I mean, you two were always together for a while, so I thought…you know…you two were a couple."

"Get your facts straight before you think such things," Katana hissed and turned away, walking forward at the front of the group. "I never had that sort of relationship with Neji. I don't involve myself in that sort of behavior. We were nothing more than training partners and teammates on missions."

"So you're not taken?"

"No, Kiba. Why are you so interested?"

"Do you want to give me a try?"

"It seems you didn't learn your lesson the last time, Kiba. Do you want me to reinforce my point?" Katana looked over her shoulder as Kiba fell silent and moved his hands as if to protect his crotch. Katana rolled her eyes and looked back forward. "Get your head out of your pants and focus on the mission."

"Huh. Is it just me, or are you maybe trying to protect your relationship with that Hyuuga? You're denying the obvious and turn other men down. I'm thinking that— I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!" Katana had whirled around and stormed up to Kiba, eyes saying that she wanted to rip his throat out. Hinata, however, stepped between them, stammering out a remark.

"P-please, K-Kiba," she stuttered, trying to ignore Katana's words for her to move aside. "R-remember that I-I'm Neji's c-cousin. I kn-know what goes on w-with him. He's n-never had a re-relationship l-like that with a-anyone."

"Yeah, I was just kidding," Kiba said as Katana let a growl rise from her throat. She turned and felt silent, arms crossed over her chest as she continued to walk forward.

"I'll take your word for it," Yutaka whispered to Kiba. "She's crazy."

Katana hung her head, tightening her arms around herself. She normally would have had tears springing to her eyes, but she held them off resiliently. But the pain in her heart was all the worse. The team walked on in silence for the rest of the day and Katana brooded over what had happened and what was said. The sun was beginning to sink below the horizon when Katana finally spoke, but it was only to declare that they would stop for the night and that she would take first watch.

The night dragged on and Katana watched as the moon slowly made its way across the sky, finally reaching the point when her watch ended. She was reluctant to wake Hinata, who had second watch, but the jounin was drained from the occurrences that she had endured and roused the younger Hyuuga.

"It's your watch," Katana said curtly, as the girl's white eyes stared up at her.

"R-right." Hinata began to rise but grew uneasy under Katana's harsh gaze. "Is something wrong?"

"It's just…I was wondering why I'm allowed to interact with you while I've been forbidden to see Neji."

"Oh, that's right. I heard that my father had said something like that." Hinata cast her eyes to the ground. "It is my belief that, even though I'm of the Main Branch, I'm not as valuable to the clan. My younger sister is more likely to become the heir than I am, so my father isn't as concerned about me."

"That's cruel," Katana murmured, beginning to walk away, but still unsatisfied with the reason.

"Please, just wait one moment. I have something for you." Hinata said and pulled a scroll from her waist pouch, handing it to Katana. "It's from Neji." Katana's eyes widened in the darkness, looking silver in the moon's light instead of their usual piercing brown. "He said to keep it a secret. Don't read it now, though. You should sleep, and you can't read in the dark anyway. I just wanted to give it to you as soon as I could."

Katana looked down at the scroll in her hand, a faint smirk flickering over her features. "Thank you, Hinata." She walked to where she had chose to sleep and curled up on the ground, forcing her thoughts to calm. Katana closed her eyes and sighed heavily, the scroll tucked into her own waist pouch and pressed against her back. It provided comfort in the night, giving her hope for what would happen, no matter what it contained. Katana welcomed her dreams, no matter what they were; they were her savior in this time and were the only thing that she could depend on.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Get up! Get up!"

Katana was jarred from her nightmare and wildly grabbed for one of her swords, staring up at the face looming above her. "Kiba? What are you doing?" She kept her grip on her sword tight and breathed heavily, watching him step back and look over at the others' sleeping figures.

"I smell trouble and we need to either get out of here or get ready to fight," he said quietly in a serious tone, moving to wake Shino and Hinata. "I think it's those bandits Tsunade-sama warned us about."

Katana sniffed at the air, but could detect nothing except for the earthy forest scents, her sense of smell not nearly as keen as the Inuzuka's. But there was a different odor in the air that didn't belong to the woods and she knew that Kiba was correct. Hinata was sitting up and had her Byakugan activated, searching the surrounding area closely. She nodded grimly and sighed, confirming Kiba's suspicions.

"Wass-goin-on," Yutaka mumbled as he was woken by Kiba.

"Just get off your sorry ass and get ready to run," Katana spat, looking up to the trees. "How much time do we have?"

"They approach rapidly from all sides," Shino murmured in his sinister tone, ear pressed to the ground. "How do I know? My insects sense their movement from the forest floor. They are moving carelessly and know little of our abilities. They believe that they will have an easy fight, but they are wrong."

"Our only disadvantage is numbers," Kiba said as he sniffed the air with Akamaru. "The air is so thick with their scent that there has to be a lot of them."

"Don't worry," Katana said with confidence. "We are shinobi and they are most likely just normal people. We will easily defeat them."

"Don't underestimate them," Shino said softly. "An army of ants can easily overpower a predator many times a single ant's size. We must still act with caution."

"Enough with the bug analogies, Shino," Kiba snapped in annoyance. "I can never understand how you can do that."

"Okay, enough, what we have to do is form a circle around him," Katana pointed to Yutaka, "and try to prevent anyone to get through. Unless we make someone take charge and move with him and fight, then the other is our only choice."

"But who would take charge?" Kiba questioned. He suddenly grimaced and shook his head. "Hurry and make a choice. The bandits are getting closer."

"Shino, I want you to guard Yutaka," Katana said suddenly, abandoning her first plan. "Your insects can keep any bandits away from all sides and can warn you of any danger. Your techniques require very little movement on your part, so you won't risk injuring him the way the rest of us could. Now— Look out!"

Katana drew a sword and knocked a dagger out of the air as it flew towards the group. A ring of numerous bandits closed in from all sides, screaming battle cries and waving weapons. The four shinobi instantly flew into action, retaliation catching the bandits by surprise.

"Gatsuuga! Fang over fang!" Kiba and Akamaru whirled into two gray spirals, barreling through bandits with fierce speed and tearing great paths in their ranks.

"Jyuuken!" Hinata moved fluidly in her attack combinations, allowing no opponent to touch her as she smoothly disabled each person who approached her.

"Mushi kabe!" Shino hissed, extending his hands out in front of him. His insects swarmed from his sleeves and formed a wall around himself and Yutaka, attacking any bandit that strayed to close.

"Katon! Gokakyu no Jutsu!" Katana spewed a large tongue of flames, charring bandits in a large radius in front of her. She closed her mouth and scanned the area, wanting to end the battle swiftly so they could complete the mission. "Retreat! Come on!" She received confused glances from the others who were in no danger of losing their battles. She signaled for them to move and she ushered them away, running into the forest behind the group. She urged Yutaka to follow the others, his speed making him fall behind. "Everyone get down!"

Katana shoved Yutaka to the ground and spun on her heels, seeing the pursuing bandits gaining swiftly. She bit the soft flesh on the underside of her wrist, blood beginning to gush from the wound. She spread the blood over her palm and up her forearm to her elbow and wove hand seals. She set her teeth and slammed her hand to the ground, an enormous seal design spreading on the ground. The bandits halted as a monstrous creature burst from the earth, bellowing to the sky. It was immense and only halfway emerged from the ground, looking like a large elongated toad with thicker front limbs and eyes that didn't bulge. It opened its wide mouth and emitted a gushing flow of molten rock from its jaws. Katana pulled her hand from the ground and held her arms above her head, a large red tinged translucent shield surrounding the group.

The bandits screamed as they were killed even before they were submerged in the lava, the burning heat too great for them to survive. The bandits, being lured into a line by the group's false retreat, were easily destroyed despite their great numbers. The large, toad-like dragon emptied its jaws and the lava hardened, creating a large rocky mass in place of the trees and grasses that it had consumed. The dragon twisted around and looked down at Katana and she dropped her arms, the shield fading instantly. The dragon nodded with a growl and withdrew into the earth, the ground closing up behind it, leaving a large scorch mark in its place.

Katana struggled for breath and fell to her knees. "That was dumb," she gasped, clutching her bleeding wrist. "Summoning the lava wyrm _and_ trying to protect all of us from the heat…" Katana sighed and fell forward, slipping into unconsciousness without any chance to resist.

* * *

Of all the things to dream about, why this? _Katana thought as her mind cleared. _Why must this be a nightmare? _She stood in an empty room with a single door, the only way to enter or exit the area. The room was lit with candles lining the walls, shining brightly with flickering flames. And between her and the door, stood Neji._

_'Why are you here?' she asked quietly, seeing him step closer to her. _

_'Am I all you think about?' he replied with subtle mockery, a smirk playing on his features. 'This is your doing.'_

_'Then punish me,' Katana dared softly, closing the distance between them. 'I don't know if I will be able to endure this. How can I be expected to stay away from you?'_

_'What about what I asked of you?'_

_'I can forget on the outside and lie as fluently as if it were my native language, but I can never erase everything from my memory. I cling to the past far too tightly; you know that.'_

_'Have you read my scroll yet?'_

_'No.'_

_'Please do as soon as you can. Now I must leave.' He began to turn towards the door._

_'No,' Katana said firmly, gripping his arm before he could move too far. 'I can't watch you leave again, Neji. I'm sick of these goodbyes; they've been tearing us apart little by little.'_

_'It has to be this way.'_

_'No it doesn't. Please, don't go.' Katana threw her arms around his neck and buried her head into his shoulder. 'We're on a road to nowhere in this situation. I miss you, Neji.'_

_He suddenly pulled roughly from her grasp and swiftly moved to the door. 'You need to stop this behavior, Katana. It is disgraceful to your title as a shinobi.'_

_'Neji, but—'_

_'Just move on, Katana. It will be better for both of us.' He moved toward the door and Katana made a lunge toward him, but he passed out of the threshold and slammed the door in her face. _

_Katana fell against the wood and sunk to the ground, staring at the ground with wide eyes. _It's just a dream. It's just a dream. _She willed herself to believe the words she whispered over and over in her mind. The candles suddenly flared and the flames leaped upwards, the walks of the room igniting. Katana threw her head back and cried out, the fire engulfing her and plunging her into blackness.

* * *

_

Author Note: Okay, bad writer's block, that's my reasons for the late update. Sorry. Onward, ALL THE REVIEWS FOR LAST CHAPTER WERE AWESOME!!!!! I'm glad that everyone like it, much to my surprise. I'm sorry if this chapter was a let down after last chap, but... writer's block...yah. If I could get as many reviews as last week, i would be ecstatic --hint hint-- As for the end of the chapter... forebode? Or not? You shall see mwahahahhaha!! And it was a dream, not a telepathic connection or anything. So translations: yutaka=rich, gatsuuga=Kiba's jutsu with Akamaru, Mushi kabe= literally "insect wall" so its one of Shino's jutsu. You shall find out what's in the scroll next chapter, sorry for the suspense. And sorry for all the little things with Kiba (I still think he's cool and all...but I just love to work with him like that. Shino was fun to use too). So, i felt like I had other things to say, but I've forgotten (it's late so I blame that... but can that count as a valid excuse if I have insomnia? I do by the way). I own nothing, just the usual. Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	38. Chapter 37: Weight of the World

Chapter 37: Weight of the World

The flames died and Katana became aware of a gentle pressure resting on her arm, coaxing her back into consciousness. Light gently filtered through the tree leaves high above, and Katana blinked rapidly to clear the haze of sleep from her vision. Wincing as she turned her head, she looked over at Hinata whose hand was lightly pressing on her arm.

"Are you okay?" Hinata gently whispered, assisting Katana to sit up against a tree.

"Don't worry about me," Katana murmured, glancing down at her wrist. It was heavily bandaged where she had bit it, her sleeve stained with blood despite the fact that she had pulled it back when she summoned the lava wyrm. "How long was I out for?"

"Since yesterday," Yutaka said loudly. "I had no idea a girl could sleep so heavily."

"That's because I was unconscious, dumbass," Katana growled. "You try draining your chakra to nothing and let's see how you fare."

"I don't have chakra," Yutaka said with a grin, chuckling to himself.

"Anyway," Kiba said dismissively, glaring at the Daimyo's son. "That was some jutsu. But you shouldn't use up your chakra so recklessly."

"You don't need to lecture me, Kiba," Katana hissed, trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice. "I'm fully aware of the effects of exhausting one's chakra and I'm not proud to say that I've experienced some of the worst. But I thank you for your concern and, of course, not leaving me stranded when I was unconscious."

"Who would do that to a comrade?" Kiba said with an entirely puzzled expression. "You've had a really tough life as a shinobi, haven't you?"

"You have no idea," Katana muttered with a rueful smirk. She weakly rose to her feet and brushed herself off. "We should move on. We've wasted time and the shinobi who are stationed at the boarder of the Wind Country will be waiting for us."

They set off as fast as Yutaka could go without complaining too unbearably. They spoke little as they traveled, Katana leading the group with her thoughts elsewhere. She tugged at her ripped sweater absently as she picked her way between tree roots and brush littering the forest floor. Her pace was quick, but she had come to be able to tune out the annoying whine of the Daimyo's son as they traversed the land. Her thoughts still swarmed in her skull, clouding the world around her and she hardly paid any attention to the four people plodding down the path behind her. Night finally rolled in and they set up camp and Katana divvied up the watches.

She had taken last watch, making sure all the others were fast asleep and had no chance of waking and disturbing her. Satisfied that the others were soundly asleep by the faint intensity of their chakra flares and Yutaka's snoring, Katana pulled the scroll Hinata had given her from her waist pouch. Opening it soundlessly, Katana leaned closer to the dim fire that they kept burning all night, the flickering flames providing just enough light for her to see the neatly written words on the paper.

_Katana,_

_There are many things we need to discuss, but this is not the best way to communicate in the event that this is intercepted before it reaches you. We must meet privately late at night so the risk of being discovered is low. Contact me in some way as soon as you can. And I should warn you, what we need to discuss may not be to your liking._

There was nothing more and the message wasn't signed, but Katana's stomach began churning. Setting her jaw, Katana reached into her waist pouch again and retrieved a pencil that she always kept for any situation that may arise. She leaned the scroll against the ground and scribbled a message even shorter than Neji's in the space beneath his words.

She sunk her teeth into her thumb, wiping the blood on her palm and using the slightest amount of chakra, summoned a dragon. It was the smallest and youngest dragon in her summoning contract and it let out a squawk as it shook itself from the smoke. It looked up, cocking its small head and walking up to her on its thin legs. It was a biped, its front limbs bonded with its leathery wings like those of a bat that were twice the size of its slim body. It let out a quiet warble and swished its tail back and forth with excitement at being summoned.

"I need you to deliver something for me, Little One," Katana murmured quietly as to not wake the others. "Turn around and don't make so much noise." The dragon gave an unhappy whine and turned its back to Katana, folding its wings tightly against its sides. Katana wiped the blood from her thumb onto the forefinger of her right hand and painted a seal onto the small dragon's back. It squeaked and shifted, making a noise equivalent it a giggle. "Stop moving; you'll make me draw it wrong." Ceasing its squirming momentarily, Katana finished the seal and formed a hand sign. She picked up the scroll and pressed her first two fingers onto the seal, watching it disappear with a puff of smoke from her hand. "Now go to Konohagakure and give that to Neji Hyuuga. Make sure no one sees you. Got it, Little One?"

The dragon trilled in affirmation and opened its wings, standing proudly and giving the kunoichi a playful tap with its tail. Turning on its clawed feet, the dragon beat its wings violently and sprung into the air. Shooting off into the sky, the dragon soon became a black blot against the starry sky before vanishing over the treetops. Kiba muttered in his sleep and his eyes flickered, grumbling something about "strange dreams and funky noises". Katana sighed and knew she had done all she could at the time and resigned herself to watching the silent night, wondering what the secret meeting could possibly have in store for her.

* * *

Dawn was breaking and Neji had already woken to prepare himself for the day's training with his team. He had returned to endure the ridiculous training methods with Team Gai to take his thoughts off of the predicament his clan had placed him in. He walked towards the door of his room, already annoyed by what his sensei had planned, when a scratching at his window made him turn back around. He could never have expected the type of creature to be scrabbling at his window.

The small dragon was struggling to remain aloft on the widow sill, its clawed feet slipping as it stretched its wings to scratch at the pane. It clumsily fell from the sill and gave an angry chatter from the bushes on the ground. Neji opened the window and looked down at the dragon's crumpled form as it failed to untangle itself from the bushes. Neji extended his hand and released the dragon from a branch and it hastily fluttered up to the window, holding itself firmly to try and keep its pride intact.

"Has Katana sent you?" Neji inquired softly, aware that anyone could be listening; his uncle still refused to remove the supervisors from outside his room. The dragon squawked and turned its back, exposing the seal painted along its spine. Neji rested his first two fingers onto the middle of the seal and made a hand seal with the other hand. His scroll appeared in a puff of smoke and he quickly opened it to read the brief message Katana had replied with.

_Neji,_

_Meet me at two in the morning in three days' time in a training field. I think you'll know which one. _

Neji looked at the dragon and inwardly sighed as the small reptile seemed to shrug its shoulders. It turned to the window and gave a farewell snort and leaped into the air, beating its wings rapidly to stay airborne. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Neji placed the scroll in a drawer and left his room for training, making sure to throw the supervisor that attempted to follow him a contemptuous glare.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

The darkness clung to everything like an ebony cloak sticking to all matter. Neji slipped silently between the trees as he crept towards the lone clearing in the specific training field where he had first met Katana. He had easily eluded the supervisor posted outside his room by leaving a doppelganger, the normal, shadowy kind Academy students learned to conjure. The intensity of its chakra flare was nearly the same as his when he slept, so it would hopefully fool the guard into thinking that Neji remained in the room.

The clearing was unoccupied and he stood stock-still at the very edge, waiting for any movement to give away the presence of any other person. The faintest chakra flare seemed to radiate from a tree on the opposite side of the clearing, but his Byakugan revealed nothing when he scanned the foliage. He took a step forward and there was a soft thump in front of him, the grass crushed beneath invisible feet. The footsteps were silent but the bending grass revealed the position of the approaching person.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you," a voice murmured as the footsteps continued to grow closer.

"Do you realize that _I_ can't see you?" Neji said with a hint of mockery.

"I thought it would be better this way."

"It's not. Drop your kekkei genkai. I want to talk face to face." He felt his stomach twist in anxiousness for what he had to do.

The air became hazy and Katana materialized in front of the Hyuuga, not wearing her sweater or her leaf headband. She looked up at him with large eyes widened with nervousness and anticipation. She took a step forward but Neji held up his hand, halting her in mid stride.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't stay long and I don't want to waste any time. This is an important matter."

"I understand that." Katana cast her gaze downward and sunk her teeth into her lower lip. "I didn't know whether to be more nervous before or after I read your scroll. I was anticipating something different when I first received it, but now I'm anticipating what you're going to say."

"Then stop interrupting me and let me speak." Neji could see she was caught off guard by the harshness in his voice. He sighed to calmed himself and looked her in the eye solidly, trapping her in his gaze and forcing her to keep eye contact. "This can't go on."

"What are you—?"

"Do you remember a while back when I said I would try to fix you?"

Katana blinked in surprise and frowned slightly. "That was so long ago. What does that have to do with anything?"

"I don't think you understood the true meaning of my words." Neji turned away and stared down at his hands. "You most likely thought that I was trying to heal you from what had happened with the dragons, correct? That wasn't the case. In truth, I was trying to stop you from being so emotional."

Katana stared at him and gently shook her head. "No, you couldn't have. You're lying. You did no such thing to try to stop my emotions. I don't know where—"

"I had thought you were okay after you returned, but I was wrong," Neji snapped, returning his glare to her. "Not even I could change you. I was thinking over what you had said the day I told you we couldn't see each other. Were you serious about everything you said?"

"I'm a very good liar, but I would never lie to you. I meant everything I said that day. And you're wrong. You have changed me."

Neji's glare hardened and his expression became one of mild contempt. "You're more foolish than I thought possible for a jounin. Your strength is the only thing that allows you to achieve that rank."

"Really? And how is that?" Katana's own expression began to burn with anger and she balled her hands into fists.

"Look at yourself. You were once the ideal shinobi if you told me correctly. You told me you were once a drone with no emotions that would carry out any order. Now you're a soft, emotional fool clinging to feelings that all shinobi should eradicate."

"You're one to talk," Katana snapped, her anger building. "You said yourself that you started to have feelings for me."

"And I see how wrong I was." Neji saw Katana's anger melt into wide-eyed shock and nearly felt a pang of guilt. "In the events that have occurred, it seems I was the one who was fixed even if you were unaware and in the dark. You brought out emotions in me, and I want more that anything to be who I was before all of this occurred."

"Well, I don't," Katana said quietly, the anger and power drained from her voice. "I don't want to be that emotionless monster I once was. I won't be held down by who I used to be. She's nothing to me."

"Then let me give you a piece of advice." Neji took a step closer to Katana and she stared at him with a suddenly cold glare. "If you love me then let go of me. I will be safer for the both of us."

"Safer? You mean it's safer for you. All it will do is tear me apart. You know that!"

"No. If you stop clinging to me, maybe you can stop playing the victim to your emotions. It_ will_ be safer."

"How can you say that?" Katana dropped her cold glare and rested it on the ground, closing her eyes tightly. "Don't you remember all that we've been through? How can you forget everything that we had? Can't you see all the good it has done us?" Katana jerked her head up to look at him, tears beginning to glisten in her eyes. "You'll certainly be safe, but you'll be safe in the dark and unable to see anything. You protect yourself now, but what happens when you want to return someone else's love? What will you do? You'll be blind and helpless and unable to do anything."

"What gives you the right to make assumptions about me?"

"What gives you the right to say I'm a fool? You told me it was human behavior to have emotions and that they couldn't be denied!"

"I simply told you what you needed to hear."

Katana stared at him and the silence stretched between them, pulling them farther apart by the second. Katana turned and hung her head, releasing the tension in her hands and fighting desperately against her tears.

"Don't you see what I mean?" Neji breathed coldly. "There is the slightest disturbance and you cry like a child."

"You're lying," Katana whispered as she balled her hands into fists again, disregarding his last statement. "You have to be. Why, after everything, would you suddenly say these things?" She looked up at him pleadingly. "Just tell me that this is a façade. Tell me that you're just trying to protect yourself and I'll go along with it. No one will ever know."

Neji turned around and set his jaw, needing to compose himself. He had no idea that she would be so resilient and hopeful. "I don't know what to tell you, Katana."

"Tell me the truth."

"I can't do that. I know you don't believe me, but you have to accept reality and be willing to face it."

"Look me in the eyes and say that," Katana dared, her voice tight and strained as she tried to keep it from wavering.

"Please, just—"

"No, I won't do anything. I don't believe you and I won't believe you." Katana stepped up to him and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Why are you doing this, Neji? I just want to know the real reason."

He looked into her eyes and saw her gaze was hard, no longer pleading or upset or angry. She knew him too well to be entirely swayed by his words. He would have to try a different method if he wanted to sway her into believing him. He began to speak again when he sensed something rapidly approaching. Katana sensed it too and stiffened, whirling around to try and pinpoint which direction it was coming from. Neji activated his Byakugan and scanned the area, fear momentarily gripping him.

"It's my clan," he said quietly. "They must have discovered by absence and have come searching for me. They have no doubt found you as well. They've surrounded us entirely."

"There's only one thing we can do," Katana said as calmly as she could. She turned to Neji and began weaving hand seals. She set her hands on his shoulders, pressing his back into a tree and wrapped her arms around his neck, looking up at him with a half smirk. "Brings back memories, doesn't it?"

The air became clouded and hazy as Katana enveloped them in her chakra cloak, shielding them from the eyes of the other approaching Hyuugas. Neji felt her head rest against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her reluctantly. But Katana felt how tightly he was holding her to him and knew that her speculations were correct; Neji's words had held little truth. She could hear his heart beating and stifled a smirk at the fact that he was a frightened as she was despite the emotionless mask obscuring his features.

"Wha—? What happened?"

There were eight Hyuugas in total and they all began rapidly scanning the clearing, unable to decipher when their prey had hidden.

"They were here! We saw them! Where could they have gone to? We had them surrounded!"

"Stop panicking," another Hyuuga growled, scanning the clearing intently with his white eyes. "We know they are here. We saw them disappear. They can't hide forever."

"But how can we not see them?" the first Hyuuga whined. He looked younger than the rest and was clearly not as composed.

"It's quite simple, actually," a third Hyuuga spoke up. "That girl is using her kekkei genkai, obviously. Don't you remember how we were told that it makes her and anyone close enough to her invisible? And we can't detect it because the chakra cancels out."

Katana's breath hitched as she turned ever so slightly to glance at the Hyuuga out of the corner of her eye. _How could he know that? That information is strictly guarded! The only one who knows that is Neji—_

"So how are we going to find them?" the first Hyuuga questioned, clearly getting on the others' nerves.

"Your voice isn't helping matters," the third Hyuuga snapped. "We were informed that, despite being invisible, the girl is still tangible. All we have to do is sweep the area until we touch something that shouldn't be there. And, because it seems that the girl is hiding Neji along with her, she won't be able to move without risking exposing them. I was told that the chakra cloak is difficult to maintain when trying to shield two people. See how simple it is?"

Katana stared up at Neji, horrified and shocked. He was the only one outside of her clan who knew such information about her kekkei genkai besides Anko. _He wouldn't betray me, would he? But there's no other way that they could have such information otherwise. But—_ Katana couldn't find any way to contradict herself. She tightened her arms around Neji's neck, pressing herself closer to him. She couldn't bare the thought that Neji had betrayed her. _But if he had_, she realized, _then he could have possibly been telling the truth before. It would have been him that had given his clan the information about my clan and caused them to forbid our interaction. Could he have really done that? But why?_

The Hyuugas were beginning to fan out, extending their hands and sweeping at the empty air. One was slowly getting closer, oblivious to his closeness to his targets and taking his time making sure not to miss any space between them. Katana was positive that he could hear the rapid thudding of her heart as he approached, Neji's heartbeat no fainter in her ear. It all came down to this moment, and Katana struggled to form a plan but was unsuccessful in finding more than one option. She looked up at Neji and set her jaw, breathing two words for only him to hear.

"Trust me." Katana forcefully wrenched herself from Neji's arms and pushed him toward the trees outside the clearing. "RUN, NEJI!" she cried as she threw herself at the other Hyuugas. She buried her fist into the nearest one's jaw, hearing a satisfying crack and watching him crumple to the ground. Springing towards another, her battle became for difficult as the other seven were alerted. Dodging palm thrusts, Katana lashed out with her leg, catching one Hyuuga in the stomach and taking hold of the wrist of another that tried to attack her. She brought her knee into his chest and threw his limp body at another Hyuuga and turned to face the other four when a firm hand struck her shoulder.

Gasping in shock, Katana felt an icy wave flood her system and realization hit her. It was the first time she had been hit with a full powered Jyuuken strike and she staggered backwards, clutching her shoulder. The Hyuuga's face warped in a cold smile and Katana's heart skipped a beat. His hair was darker because of the dim light of the moon, but, in the daylight, it would have no doubt been sandy brown. She looked at the others and noticed that two others had light hair.

"Surprising, isn't it?" the sandy hair Hyuuga said icily. "You didn't think that we could have such features, correct?"

"Is this some kind of joke?" Katana breathed, shrinking back.

"It's no joke. There are many branch families in the Hyuuga Clan and certain ones have different appearances. We were told that you were vulnerable to a particular trait among Hyuugas and it is quite obviously correct."

"Who told you so much about me and my clan?" Katana snarled, anger seething fiercer than her fear. "How can you know so much?"

"That's our business," another Hyuuga growled, coming to stand beside his companion. "All you need to know is that our source is very reliable."

Katana lunged forward at the group adjacent to her when she was grabbed from behind and thrown into a tree. The Hyuuga she had thought she had disabled by throwing another into him was still functioning and held her by her collar.

"You have a particularly thick skull, don't you?" he said with mockery. "It seems it's going to take more than just a warning to tell you how serious we are about protecting ourselves and those among us."

"Try me," Katana snapped and smashed her fist into his stomach. Although one arm was useless, her other worked just fine. Running toward the other Hyuugas, she drew a kunai and dove into the one who had struck her. Slashing with her kunai, she caught him on the arm as he moved to block, blood pouring from the gash. Another Hyuuga joined the fight, but was quickly disabled with a back kick to the side of the head. The last two lowered into Jyuuken stances, gazes hard as the finally knew that they were going to need to make an effort.

"Just walk away now," the one Hyuuga growled. "We'll spare you this time."

"I highly doubt that," Katana snarled. "You're all of Branch Families so your Jyuuken can only have minimal power. You won't be able to beat me. I should be the one saying I will spare you."

One of the Hyuugas rushed forward with his arm reared back. Katana easily evaded his attack and swept his legs out from under him, darting over his sprawled body. She turned to the other Hyuuga and felt something rest on her back as she rushed forward. She moved quickly before the chakra could be forced into her system. Rolling forward, she jumped into the air and flipped backwards, landing behind him and slicing her kunai across his back. She turned to the last who remained and he took several steps back.

"If you want to run, I'll let you go," Katana said angrily, throwing her kunai down. "I'm not the monster you think I am. I only attacked you because you provoked me, so you can't say my actions were unjustified. Go and take the others."

"You know this won't help you," the Hyuuga said in a shaking voice as he attempted to remain firm. "Neji is going to be severely punished for this. You can count on that. And there's nothing you can do to help him."

Katana took a step forward and the he backed away. Setting her jaw, Katana turned and walked out of the clearing. She could hear the Hyuuga shuffling around the clearing as she departed, her thoughts racing. She walked through the village back to Anko's apartment, feeling a heavy weight slowly pressing down on her shoulders. She couldn't be sure if Neji had been telling the truth or if he had betrayed her, but the leaden burden seemed to be slowly crushing her. _Like the weight of the world_, Katana thought as she slunk into her room and curled up on the futon. Unsure of the future, Katana slipped into a restless sleep and could only hope that Neji would forgive her if he was indeed punished. Her nightmares taunted her, warping the situations as usual and obscuring reality. In the end, Katana submitted to the confusion and let the dreamscape world alter her perspective, only hoping that she would be able to sort the situations when she woke.

* * *

Author Note: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NEJI!!!!! July 3rd is a special day XD Sorry for making everyone wait and I know this isn't the happiest thing to go with a birthday, but oh well. I've been so confuddled with situations that I haven't had the inspiration to write. I'm not too satisfied with how it turned out, but I wanted to get a chapter out today. I discovered how to reply to reviews (I know I sound like a noob) so I'll probably be doing that from now on. And that foreboding I mentioned in last chapter wasn't supposed to pertain to this chapter, just so you know. It may play a part later in the story, but then again, maybe not. And I was bored one day so I watched the episodes when Naruto fought Neji during the Chunin Exams because I had only seen clips of it, and I noticed that Neji always referred to them as "Branch _Families_" and several cameo Hyuugas had short light hair. I just assumed that they were part of a different Branch Family, so ya. That's just to clear up some confusion. So, give me your thoughts if you want. I own nothing (this includes chapter titles because I'm weird like that and like to make connections) just the usual. Happy 4th of July eve!!(you said "eve" before the day of the special event if anyone didn't understand...it's an inside joke) Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	39. Chapter 38: New Divide

Chapter 38: New Divide

"Were you with her?"

Neji had only been in the situation once before several years ago when he had nearly killed Hinata during the first Chuunin Exam he took. But this time was just as bad if not worse.

He was on his knees, arms twisted behind his back and two Hyuuga elders stood behind him, their hands resting on the back of his bowed head. One wrong word or any attempt to escape would result in them injecting their chakra into his brain and ending his life instantly. The silence spread across the gathered council, every elder and Hiashi assembled to assess the situation.

"_Were you with her_?" the Head Elder growled coldly, his voice growing in power with anger.

Neji had hoped to remain undetected as he fled from the clearing, but he was unable to react by the time he detected the other group of Hyuugas sent after him. They had knocked him unconscious before he could retaliate, and he had woken within the Hyuuga compound and was promptly thrown into the current interrogation.

"ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?" The Head Elder wrapped his wrinkled hand around the collar of Neji's shirt and shook him angrily. "I ASKED YOU A QUESTION! NOW ANSWER OR WE WON'T HESITATE TO ACTIVATE YOUR CURSE MARK!"

It had only taken once for Neji to lose his defiance. He had never felt such pain in his life, even the wounds he had received from Kidoumaru paled in comparison to the agony of the curse mark. It had only taken several seconds for Neji to submit, his loosened tongue spilling the answer to every question the elders fired at him. And, as they departed and left him weak on the ground, the elders had laughed mockingly. He could hear them say that his curse mark hadn't been activated nearly to its full potential, their ridiculing chortling laced with words of his weakness. He hadn't been able to resist them and, though he would never show it, Neji was terrified.

The elder locked eyes with Neji, the older man's anger almost radiating from his body. He dropped the younger boy's collar and looked up to the two elders restraining him. "Activate it."

"I was with her," Neji blurted involuntarily, instantly wishing he could have taken back his words once he said them. He wasn't one to fall victim to fear and was normally able to push it aside and pull through the situation. But for some reason Neji couldn't identify, this particular fear was far more formidable than any other. He had only endured several moments of a low activation, and the thought that it could be thousands of times worse instantly made him into the very person he had lived his life striving not to become. He was officially one of the caged birds of the Hyuuga Branch Families, living in fear and rolling over like an obedient dog to any of the Main Branch's requests. It angered as much as terrified him, the idea that he had lost was far too difficult to accept. But as the elder looked down at him again, the cold knot of fear in his stomach proved his submission.

"But why on earth would you disobey us?" the Head Elder inquired, his voice sounding as if he was truly sincere. "You knew the penalty, you endured it slightly, so why risk earning the full effect?"

_The full effect?_ Neji could feel a cold sweat break out on his brow, the fear an unusual sensation to his usual stoic persona. He looked up at the elder, only to have his head forced back down by the two restraining him.

"Know your place, boy!" one elder growled. "You have no right to look your elder in the eye. You're a disgrace to us."

"Indeed," the Head Elder said with a cold smirk. "You have overstepped your boundaries in more ways than one in recent times. With everything added up, your punishment has already been decided."

"Please wait," Hiashi cut in, stepping up to the Head Elder. "I don't think that the degree you proposed is necessary."

"I don't understand you sometimes, Hiashi," the Head Elder growled, turning to look at the Head of the Main Branch. "You've protected this boy when he was in this situation last time and I didn't understand it then. He nearly killed your firstborn daughter, and yet you fought against us to not reprimand to the extent that was needed. This boy has been a problem to us from the moment he became a shinobi. The easiest way to fix the problem is to eliminate him."

"You can't kill him!" Hiashi cried, looming over the Head Elder. "Do you know what problems that will cause? And besides…" Hiashi looked away, staring at the ground and balling his hands into fists. "Neji is the only thing I have left of my brother."

"You were always far to attached to Hizashi," the Head Elder hissed coldly. "He was a nuisance as well and it seems his son has followed in his father's footsteps. Hizashi may have been your twin, but you need to harden your heart, Hiashi. You were always far too soft." The Head Elder turned back to Neji and raised one of his hands, and Neji felt his pulse quicken. "There is no excuse for Neji's actions and he must pay for them."

There was nothing that could stop the Head Elder and his hand formed a single seal, the curse mark branded into Neji's forehead activating.

The pain was blinding, so much worse than before and Neji fell limp as the Elders released him. He collapsed to the ground, clutching his skull, fighting the urge to cry out and give the others the satisfaction that he could hardly bare the pain. Lightening flashed behind his eyes and all around him in erratic intervals, the rest of the world turning dark as the electricity provided the only light in searing flares. Each flash imprinted on his memory in a way that he would remember for years to come, a remembrance that would hinder him for the rest of his life should he try to resist his clan. Time began to blur and Neji couldn't tell if he had only been there for seconds or had endure the torture for years.

He couldn't tell if he was being crushed or torn apart, asphyxiated or drowned, burned or cut to pieces. The cacophony of silence pressed down on him, pressing down on all sides in a suffocating blanket of endless suffering. It became all he knew, the rest of the world fading away until the agony was all that was left, Neji's struggles to fight back growing weaker and weaker. The darkness coiled around him, trapping and caging him in thin wispy restraints that couldn't be broken. He was falling quickly, nearly defeated in his battle to keep his soul in one piece.

Curling into a tight ball and facing away from the Head Elder, Neji couldn't suppress a groan of agony and tears welled slowly in his tightly shut eyes. He wouldn't be able to withstand much longer and his breath hissed between his teeth as he struggled to breathe evenly. The agony in his head seemed to swell and Neji's will to keep himself composed was fading fast. There was a sudden wavering and a distant shouting became audible through the flashing lightening and roaring thunder, so faint it could have been imagined. But the pain continued to waver and it was suddenly cut off, the shouting replacing the thunder and the dim lights of the room becoming a constant lightening flash.

"WHY DID YOU INTERFERE?" the Head Elder roared, glaring harshly at Hiashi.

"He would have died if you continued!" Hiashi cried in response, casting a glance at his nephew.

Neji stared up at them as their argument became even more vicious and they were just short of exchanging blows. He closed his eyes and found his limp body too heavy to move. His head still throbbed with reverberating waves of pain, clouding his thoughts with hazy smog. Slowly, their voices began to fade as blackness crept around the edges of his vision, their words warping into a jumble of incoherent chatter. It was then, as if Neji was struck with lightening again or received a startling sign, that he realized the entire meaning of what had occurred. He had met his fate, the fate he had been born to shoulder for the span of his life. He was a caged bird, locked into submission by fear and helplessness that he would never be able to fight off. Had he fought sooner, had he had a chance to make the others understand his reason, he might have been spared. But now it was too late.

He had betrayed Katana and lost her trust, no doubt. It was his fault and he couldn't shake the thought off as he slipped further into unconsciousness. He could see nothing but blackness and hear nothing except one voice echoing a single sentence throughout his head.

_You get what you deserve_, Katana's voice whispered, the inflection cold and holding no sympathy.

_I know,_ Neji tried to respond, but he couldn't move or react in any way visible as he continued his fall into ebony and lost himself among the shadows spiraling down around him. _And I'm sorry.

* * *

_

Katana strode silently through the dark streets of Konohagakure, her footsteps inaudible except for when she occasionally disturbed a loose stone or crushed a dry leaf. Her mouth was set in a hard line, eyes shadowed because she walked with her head slightly bowed. Her team was waiting for her at the gates; a group of chuunin annoyed by the late hour that they had been assigned a mission. They knew from a single look that Katana wasn't to be interacted with unless absolutely necessary and the four of them set off without a word. It was pitch black and Katana relied on her instincts and reflexes to dodge any trees as they became too close, the chuunin having a more difficult time. But the darkness wasn't the only reason she was having difficulty seeing.

Her thoughts were elsewhere although her face betrayed nothing that was on her mind. She could remember how easy it had been when Neji had been leaping though the trees beside her, his Byakugan guiding them with inhuman precision and the fear of smashing into a tree did not exist. She glanced about often, swearing she could see flashes of his telltale white shirt ahead of her, but the darkness swallowed it up the moment she locked onto the area.

Shaking her head violently, Katana focused her attention on the mission, putting all her awareness into navigating the shadowy landscape. _I've got to remember what I vowed. I can't allow the past to affect the present or future. _She had promised herself that she had abandoned her memories with Neji, closing her mind as best she could to what had happened. There was a chance that her suspicions were false, but in the event that they were true, Katana would never be able to forgive him for betraying her. It had been five days since she had encountered him in the clearing, five days since their paths had crossed. Her mind had been racing the entire time, wanting so terribly to know the truth, but also wanting to banish all the thoughts and memories that plagued her.

And she couldn't hide from what she knew was inevitable. She would have to face him one day and discover the truth that lay between them, the truth that would either destroy or mend the taut bond they shared.

Closing her thoughts from the topic of the Hyuuga, Katana's attention was attracted by one of the chuunin as he reported a finding. They were hunting down a large wild animal said to be terrorizing a small village within the Fire Country, and large tree had been suspiciously felled in front of them. Working at night, they had hoped to surprise the creature while it slept and the Hokage had insisted on a full platoon in the event that the creature was more than what was expected. Katana had argued the decision, but gave in to avoid any spontaneous attacks from the sleep-deprived Lady Tsunade.

There was a heavy snap from somewhere in the darkness and Katana reflexively drew one of her swords, staring in the direction the noise had come from. A deep rumbling growl echoed through the trees, followed closely by the snapping of twigs and heavy slapping footfalls. Everything became deathly quiet, the only sound the wind whispering through the trees and the heavy breathing of one of the chuunin.

"I'm scared," he whispered, eyes wide and knuckles white where he gripped his kunai. There was a low hiss and the chuunin whipped around, body rigid with fear. Katana caught sight of the faintest movement in the darkness by the chuunin's side, a flicker of shining scales and bright red eyes.

"Get down!" she cried, diving at the chuunin and forcing him to the ground. A long object whistled over their heads, smashing into a tree and severing the trunk. "Now you have an excuse to be frightened." Katana stared at the large creature as it dragged its body into the clearing. It was an enormous lizard of some kind with nearly black scales and shimmering vermillion eyes, its tongue lashing out of its mouth every so often.

The muscles of its hind legs bunched before it sprang into the air with agility that belied its size. The one chuunin screamed and dove away into the foliage, the mammoth lizard attracted by his outburst. Katana grit her teeth and positioned herself in front of the boy, holding her sword out to the lizard's snout. It reared its head back, tasting the air and awaiting the jounin's next move as a steady hiss rumbled in its throat.

"Why the hell where you assigned to this mission if you're afraid of lizards?" Katana growled coldly, watching the reptile for any flicker of motion. "The only thing it can do is swallow you whole."

"And cut you in half," another chuunin said in a strained voice. "You saw what its tail did to that tree."

"And have you seen the size of this thing's claws?" the third chuunin called from the opposite side of the clearing in his attempt to circle around the monster. "We could be cut into pieces."

"Wusses," Katana grumbled and unsheathed another sword. "You don't have anything to fear with a giant lizard. Try fighting a demon-possessed shinobi with supernatural powers; that's something to cry about. But as for now, aim for the eyes and armpits. They're the only places it's vulnerable. If its anything like a dragon, they should share weaknesses." Katana feinted a jump forward and the lizard made a swipe at her with its clawed foot. Taking the opening, she moved forward to stab the soft flesh beneath its arm when a heavy force crashed down on her back, pinning her heavily to the ground. "Don't just stand there! Do something!"

Two of the chuunin came to life and sprung at the creature, distracting it enough to lift its foot from Katana's back. She rolled over and clambered to her feet, staring up at the tree branches high above. Setting her jaw, she wove hand seals and spewed a large tongue of flame into the trees above them, raining fiery sparks down on the creature. It shrieked and writhed, its tail thrashing about and nearly taking one chuunin's head from his shoulders. While distracted, Katana drew a kunai and aimed carefully, the lizard's sporadic movements making her target difficult to pinpoint. Throwing the kunai, it luckily struck the intended target, one of the reptile's vermillion eyes, and the creature reared up on its hind legs as a bellow rose from its throat.

Katana knocked one of the chuunin aside as he attempted to complete the task of finishing the creature, and both of them knew that he would have little chance of success. Katana ran forward, but skidded to a halt as the monster stopped thrashing and wobbled precariously before falling forward. The kunoichi froze and thrust her swords into the air as the lizard came crashing down on top of her, a bloodcurdling roar splitting the night air. The monster became silent and fell still, its eyes dimming and tongue lolling out of its mouth.

"Suiton!" one chuunin cried, extinguishing the spreading flames above their heads before the Fire Country's name became literal. "Uh, what should we do about taichou? You don't think she's dead, is she?"

A muffled voice came from beneath the lizard, one of its legs shifting ever so slightly. "Geh-meh-ow-ah-heer," the voice said with a louder volume. Katana shifted the lizard's leg enough to see the gathered chuunin. "Get me out of here, you numbskulls!" They reacted quickly and freed Katana from beneath the creature, the jounin wiping the lizard's blood from her face. "You're lucky that stab hit its heart or the lizard would have had a feast tonight." She looked up at the burnt trees, the ashes of charred leave and bark flitting to the ground like snow.

"Are you okay?" the frightened chuunin questioned in a trembling voice, looking at her with wide eyes.

"Let's just get back to the Village," Katana growled. "I think I sprained my arm, so I don't want to stay out here any more than I have to. Let me get rid of this lizard's corpse and we can head out." Katana used a simple Katon to ignite the reptile and one of the chuunin kept the flames in check with his Suiton. With the monster eradicated, the platoon set off back to the Village, the sun just beginning to paint the eastern sky with vivacious hues.

* * *

Team Gai stood in the Hokage's office, Tsunade briefing them on their mission in a tired and annoyed voice. The sun rose slowly over the trees in the distance, gleaming through the large windows behind Tsunade's desk. Team Gai had been called for the mission earlier than normal, but the slight change in schedule was no great problem. Tsunade rolled the mission scroll across her desk for Gai to catch, sighing heavily as the spandex-wearing man made a great speech of how he planned to complete the mission within the day. Tsunade had made a specific point to inform them that the mission was to be done over a three-day period.

There was a sharp knock on the door and Gai's speech was cut off as the five people in the room turned to the source of the noise. It was opened slightly, just enough for the shinobi to slip through into the room. Katana passed by Team Gai without so much as an acknowledging glance and halted adjacent to Tsunade. She rested a scroll on the desk and placed a hand on her hip.

"The giant lizard was no great feat to conquer. But I do suggest that you rethink the people you assign to certain missions. One of the chuunin was so deathly afraid of the creature that he was more of a burden than a beneficial comrade."

She turned around and looked at each member of Team Gai, her expression uninterested and aloof. Neji was the last she locked eyes with and he resisted an intake of breath. Her face was blank, devoid of any emotion, and her eyes held a distance. She didn't seem to be looking at him and was more likely staring right through him. They were only several feet apart, but the space between them couldn't be breached by any simple means. The ground seemed to cave in between where they were standing, leaving them on opposite sides of a gaping void and only able to stare at each other with vacant eyes.

They had only locked eyes to a moment, but it could have been an eternity. Katana stepped forward, passing by Neji slowly with soundless footsteps. They were only inches apart at one time, but they couldn't have been farther away. Neji heard the door open and close behind him, resisting the urge to turn around and look back. She had looked so lost and searching was proving futile. Had Neji been outside, he would have seen the broken expression on Katana's features as she departed from the Hokage's office, the expression of someone who has lost everything.

She plodded slowly down the back streets, avoiding as much interaction as possible, her thoughts weighing down heavily on her shoulders. Katana walked to a deserted training field and climbed up into the highest branches of one of the tallest trees. She couldn't forget him, but she couldn't bridge the gap that separated them. Bowing her head, Katana could hear the all too familiar voice echoing in her head as she buried her head in her hands.

_You get what you deserve,_ Neji's voice murmured, ringing in her skull.

_I know,_ Katana thought as a cold smile spread across her face. _And yet, I can do nothing about it. I can't forget you, but I can't be with you, so I guess my fate to be swallowed by "what could have been"s and "what once was". And I don't think I would want it any other way.

* * *

_

"I had wanted to speak with you earlier, but I've been so busy, I haven't found the time," Tsunade said quietly as she shuffled a large stack of paperwork. "At least you didn't keep me waiting this time as you're so accustomed to doing."

"I apologize for those past occurrences," Katana said with a bow of her head. "But as of now, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"The first matter is something that concerns me greatly," Tsunade said, resting her paperwork down and gazing at Katana over the top of her clasped hands. "Do you have any reason why Hiashi Hyuuga has pleaded me to not place you on a team with any other Hyuuga?"

"Any other?" Katana inquired, her stomach twisting. "I thought it was only Neji?"

"After I assigned you that mission with Hinata a little over a week ago, he came to me the next day and clarified that he didn't want any other of his family to interact with you. Do you have any idea as to why he wants this? His rationalization was that you were a danger to everyone."

Katana looked away and clenched her hands into fists. "I don't really care what Hiashi Hyuuga thinks." There was no end to the bitterness in her voice. "I've felt like a puppet my entire life, being pulled along by some unseen hands controlling my every action. Something has happened to make the Hyuuga Clan think I'm a danger, but I can't find a reason how or why. There is only one reason I can think of… and I don't want to talk of it. It is my best wishes that it is false."

Tsunade sighed and saw how the kunoichi's mouth had formed a hard line, signifying that she wouldn't speak of the matter any more. Tsunade felt that she should press her to reveal more about the situation, but the flickers of pain glinting every so often in the girl's eyes told her that Katana wasn't comfortable with whatever had happened. "Alright then, I want to get to my second issue." Tsunade tugged a sheet of paper from a large stack on the edge of her desk. "As of late, I find it difficult to have many trustworthy shinobi at my personal disposal. Certain situations have made several of my ninja suspicious, and I need to have all the shinobi I can get."

Tsunade slid the paper over to Katana and she quickly scanned the closely printed words and her scalp prickled. "This is… You want me to…"

"Yes. I need you to rejoin the Anbu Black Ops. The Anbu Root division has been troubling me lately and I need to recruit more shinobi for my Anbu who aren't under Danzou's command. I wanted to alert you as soon as possible. What's your answer?"

Katana stared at the paper which stated all the qualifications had been met and that the Council had approved her reentry. She bit her lip and glanced up at the Hokage, noting the hopful expression in Tsunade's eyes. "I don't know yet, Tsunade-sama. This is a big decision and I don't think that I can make it right away. I'm going to need some time to think this over."

"Well, don't dwell on it for too long. I'm going to need an answer soon so I can make plans either way. I have nothing more to say other then think of what will suit you the most. Chose the path that will most likely benefit you. You are dismissed."

Katana gave a bow and took the paper with her as she walked out of the office, her thoughts racing and heart pounding. The tattoo on her right shoulder seemed to twinge as she thought of what choice would be best. She was wrapped entirely in her thoughts that she didn't realize she had instinctively walked to a training field until she finally looked up and scanned the surroundings. She could feel a chakra flare from somewhere within the trees, a chakra flare she knew. Racing forward, she locked his eyes instantly, looking down on him as she sat on a tree branch.

"You're alone?" she asked softly, unable to sense any other person close by. "You don't have a supervisor?"

"My clan has loosened their restrictions actually," Neji said with bitterness in his voice. "It was all the Head Elder could do to make up for nearly killing me. But I really shouldn't be here. In the event that they somehow discover that you're here, they will end my life."

"And you think my clan is monstrous?" Katana jumped from her branch and landed adjacent to him. He looked exhausted, as if he had recently recovered from a sickness or traumatic experience. Yet Neji stood solid with the same cold expression in his eyes as always. "Now that we're here, I need to ask you something."

"I don't want to answer whatever your question is." Neji began to walk toward her, but his true direction was the exit of the training field. He passed her and his pace didn't slow.

"Don't you dare walk away from me," Katana snapped, the harshness of her tone making Neji freeze. He turned around and saw the same distant look in her eyes, eyes that were looking in the past and not at him. "I need you to give me a reason, an explanation, or something similar. Please, prove my suspicions wrong. Please tell me you didn't betray me."

"I don't want to answer, Katana," Neji repeated, glancing at her over his shoulder. "Don't bother yourself with me and follow your own path for once." He turned to leave again.

"Don't move, Hyuuga," Katana snarled, seeing him flinch. But she didn't see his face scrunch up in momentary pain; he hadn't wanted this to happen, but it was his own fault. The hole he had dug himself into was far too deep to fill, the space between them far to expansive to connect. "Just say something that will wash this memory clean. I don't want to spend my life guessing the truth. I want you to tell me it wasn't you. _Please say you didn't betray me_."

"Katana, I…" Neji couldn't find anything to say. He wanted to lie, tell her that it wasn't his fault. But that was a lie in itself. He had done nothing but confirm the elders' suspicions; it was them who had known exactly what questions to ask. He could deny the truth about everything and leave her to fall into despair. He had lost her trust; he had lost her actual being. She wouldn't know where to turn to, and the regret was his. He had made the situations what they were, he had walked away from her so many times, saying goodbye when she needed him. He had been there for her in previous times, but they amounted to nothing right now. It was all a mistake, just one mistake too great to hide.

"Just tell me the truth," Katana pressed after his long silence, doing what she could to pull the answer from him.

Neji looked at her and knew he could do nothing to change what was to come. "Just leave it be, Katana. Sometimes it's better to be in the dark. Just move on, Katana. It seems it's better for us to go our separate ways." He continued to walk away, ignoring her calls for him to stay. He could hear her run after him, but he used a swift Teleportation Jutsu and disappeared from the training field, extending the distance between them to a point it had never been at before.

Katana stood in the area where he had disappeared and stared off into space, unsure of what to do. She had yet to know the truth, but his words had been enough to bring her to a rational conclusion. They were pulling further and further apart, the truth lying on the other side of a gap that couldn't be spanned by only one of them. Katana could search for the truth all she wanted, but unless she was able to cross the new divide separating them, all the searching in the world would never be enough.

* * *

Author Note: Okay...yah. I have discover the wonder of InuYasha and I've been having a blast...until the website where I watch all my anime changed format and all the episodes need to be re-uploaded T_T Anyway, as for the beginning of the chapter, I wanted to make Hiashi nicer, because I think it's the elders that have all the power as I put it. For the lizard scene, I did thorough (and unsuccessful) research, and found that lizards can symbolize letting go. Katana killed the lizard, so she was through with letting go, aka she wants to hold onto experiences. So yah. I own nothing, just the usual. Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	40. Chapter 39: With You

Chapter 39: With You

_There was utter silence, filling the world until it smothered all who were in the airtight space of soundlessness. No wind blew, no animals chattered, no person breathed; the world was entirely empty. The sky was a bloody vermillion, the air thick with smoke, the clouds heavy and ashen, the earth barren and dry. There was nothing left in the one piece of land as if it had been cut off from the rest of the universe to never be touched except by the cold fingers of death and destruction. Yet in the center was a pile of ash, undisturbed in the windless terrain, heaped like a sorry reminder of something that had tried to survive. But in the end, everything had failed. _

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Katana's eyes flickered open at the sound of Anko slamming the door loudly. The special jounin made a ruckus, clearly having no consideration for the younger kunoichi attempting to sleep in the next room. But Katana was relieved to be freed from the realm of nothing her dream had led her to. The sun was nearly fully risen, streaming brightly piercing rays into the windows of all who faced east.

Rising to her feet, Katana pulled her hair up away from her face, gazing out the window with her thoughts on her dream. Anko was finished clattering around and had more than likely taken to eating dango sticks at the table for an early breakfast. Quickly changing into her normal clothes, her new sweater darker than her previous ones, Katana walked out to greet Anko.

"Good morning," the special jounin said through a mouthful of food. "What's with the different sweater?"

"Nothing in particular. I just wanted a change."

"That's not like you. Usually you like to keep things status quo. Has anything been going on in your life that I should know about?"

"Why does it concern you?"

"Well, you change when your life changes. When you were with your clan when I first met you, you wore all black and had never used any of the muscles in your face specified for emotion. Then you met me and became a little more like a normal person. Everyone changes, but it's usually not just because they want to. Sometimes it is, but mostly another force acts upon them to cause the alteration."

"What's with the philosophical words of wisdom?"

"We all get our smart days. But don't change the subject. What's happened? I heard you had a bit of a problem with the Hyuuga Clan, so what's going on?"

Katana shoved her hands into her pockets and looked away, pausing greatly before answering. "I don't really want to talk about it. I wanted to go and settle it as soon as possible, but things have been difficult. It will all be solved eventually."

"Don't hold things in like that," Anko said in an annoyed tone. "And get help if you need it. You can't handle everything on your own. And if it's because Neji's being a prick, dump his ass and go on a long mission; men are always unreliable and you could use some time to cool off."

Katana sighed and tightened the straps of her back-plate apparatus as she walked to the door. "I wish it were that easy, Anko. But things have become more complicated recently and I need to straighten some things out. I just hope things will turn out okay." Without waiting for Anko to respond, Katana exited the apartment, walking swiftly from the building as the sun sluggishly rose higher.

Anko shook her head, biting into another stick of dango and leaning back in her chair. _When will that girl learn? Sometimes certain battles just have to be surrendered. Her obstinacy will be the end of her some day. She'll just end up hurting herself.

* * *

_

"B-b-but this makes no sense!"

The silence was finally broken between the six Hyuuga elders standing around the corpse, white eyes wide with shock and horror. They were too stunned to react efficiently, the situation becoming more and more peculiar as the minutes passed. The one who had found the body hadn't believed his eyes when he first discovered it hidden in one of the more seldom used rooms in the Branch Family section of the compound, and he had hastily alerted the others.

"It was hardly hidden. As if someone wanted it to be found."

"But… What is the explanation of this?" the Head Elder sputtered, glaring at his subordinates in turn, demanding an answer. "The owner of this body had only gone missing two days ago, but the decomposition seems to have progressed over a time of more than a week. How could this be?"

"Have we been tricked?" another elder speculated, watching the Head Elder carefully for a reaction. "Has there been an imposter deceiving us for a time? Wasn't he the one who gave us all the information on that Suterusu girl?"

"Something was defiantly strange about him for the past several days," the Head Elder admitted, seeming to be talking to himself. "But how could we be deceived? With our eyes, we should have been able to see through any illusions cast by a jutsu. The transformation would have to be flawless to go unnoticed."

"Maybe we were dealing with a higher caliber shinobi," an elder suggested. "They are out there, you know."

"There are indeed many who wish us harm, but the actions the imposter carried out were unlike anything usual we deal with. It's normally an assault or an attempt to capture the Byakugan's secrets, but never to give us information about a girl who could cause potential harm to one of our Branch Family members. It was almost as if they were assisting us. But why? This whole situation is very peculiar."

"This is such a shame," the elder closest to the body murmured. "Should we reconsider everything that imposter told us? Is that girl's clan truly as bad as he informed us it was? Maybe they aren't as bad as—"

"No, Neji has confirmed all of his words. That was the only way we believed that imposter. Neji gave us all the confirmation we needed to know the truth." The Head Elder would not let his actions become unjustified, his pride too great for him to be overtaken by his underlings. "The girl is still a threat, but I'm quite sure that Neji will be hesitant to be in her presence. He knows the full extent of the penalty now."

"Should we tell the rest of the clan about this?" an elder inquired, casting his gaze down to the body of his relative.

"Only if there is a need. But Hiashi should know, just because of his status. And we should also question Neji about the situation. Maybe he can give us some information about who the imposter may be. Because this person was so determined to separate him from that Suterusu girl, he may know them in one way or another." The Head Elder quickly began forming a plot to wring the information out of the Hyuuga Clan's prodigy when footsteps sounded from down the hall.

The figure froze at the site of the collected group of Hyuuga elders, a mocking smile stretching over his wizened face. He was the very Hyuuga elder whose body the others were standing around. He let out a pulsating laugh, his smile widening and seeming to crack his wrinkled features.

"It seems I've been found out," he said, his voice changing from old and raspy to young and strong in a matter of words. "Since the joke's up, I see no reason for me to lengthen my stay." The elder lifted his hand above his head and threw a smoke bomb down onto the floor, filling the corridor with a thick haze. The other elders lowered into the typical Jyuuken stance, still strong despite their old age, and each searched for the figure with his Byakugan. They easily saw through the smoke, but the imposter had utterly vanished as if he had never been there. One of the elders gave a hoarse cry as he felt to his knees, blood spurting from a cut on his shoulder. Another elder fell from a similar wound, the attacker remaining invisible.

"What is the meaning of this?" the Head Elder growled, still finding no opposing force in the smoke. "What fiendish powers are we dealing with?"

"That would be me, old man," a voice said, laced with mockery and laughter. A figure appeared in front of the Head Elder, a bloody kunai clutched in his hand. He wore all black, his hair cut close to his skull. A wide, sardonic grin warped his countenance as he laughed again. "You lead you clan like a puppet master, dragging everyone along and they're oblivious to the situation. But you can so easily become a marionette yourself." The Head Elder took a step back and felt a harsh force collide with the side of his head. The last thing he remembered as he fell into blackness was the figure's mocking laughter and his piercing brown eyes.

* * *

"Maybe this is a bad idea."

"Don't sweat it, Katana. I've got it all handled."

"That's what I'm worried about."

Kiba rolled his eyes and clapped a hand on Katana's shoulder. "What could possibly go wrong? All I have to do is ask a simple question and ol' stick-up-his-ass will spill."

Katana sighed and pushed his hand off her shoulder. "And what makes you think he'll tell you the truth?"

"Me and Neji are buddies, so… Okay, not really, but who else is going to help you out? Besides, I have a few ways to weasel the info out of him. Even a stoic Hyuuga can get embarrassed with the right words."

"Just don't make it obvious what you're trying to do."

"Of course not." Kiba grinned and Akamaru let out an assuring bark, wagging his tail happily. "I'd help you in any way, Katana." His grin suddenly vanished and he became sulky. "Even if it has something to do with White-eyes."

"Just don't screw up."

"Hey, if I'm given a mission, I stick to it, so don't think I'm unreliable." Kiba sniffed the air and Akamaru whined. "He's getting closer. Hide yourself and watch what happens. And just let me know in some way if you leave because I'm not doing this for my health."

"Thank you for doing this, Kiba. I don't know how to thank you."

"Just promise me you won't ever kick me in the crotch again and we're all good."

Katana smirked and activated her kekkei genkai, vanishing from view and standing several meters away from Kiba and Akamaru, waiting with knots in her stomach as Neji walked calmly down the pathway leading to the training fields. He gave Kiba a subtle glance as he approached, Katana reading the slightest hint of inquiry in his features before it was quickly wiped away.

"Hey there, Neji," Kiba said with nonchalance, giving a wave. "You heading to train?"

"Why else would I be on this path?" Neji replied coldly, clearly not wanting to remain in the dog-boy's company. Katana noticed that he still looked weary, as if he had never fully recovered from a traumatic experience.

"You're alone?"

"Well identified."

"That's odd. Usually you're with someone, like Tenten or something." Kiba fell into step beside Neji, the Hyuuga's irritation well hidden but still detectible. Katana pursued then silently, matching their footfalls so her own footsteps had no chance of being detected. "How is she, by the way?"

"She's well; nothing has changed. But why are you asking?"

"You two always used to hang out and train together when we were younger. Have you been recently?"

"Not particularly. I had been training with…someone else up until recently."

"You mean Katana, right? What happened between you two? I would have bet Akamaru's nose that you two were, like, a legit couple." Kiba acquired a mischievous grin and nudged the Hyuuga's shoulder. "You must have gotten far with her before you broke up, so what's she better at? Top or bottom?"

Katana stiffened and nearly sterilized Kiba a second time despite his earlier request, but the glare that Neji gave him was more than enough to make him regret his words. "If you had half a brain in that hollow object you call a skull, you would have more sense then to say something like that." Neji snarled coldly. "Your claims are irrational and I will confide this in you: Katana Suterusu and I never had a relationship closer than training partners and comrades. She is nothing to me."

Kiba stared at the Hyuuga, knowing he had gotten off easy for his remark, but something had obviously held Neji back. The Hyuuga seemed troubled for a moment, as if the words he spoke were difficult to say. He was talking through gritted teeth and trying to calm himself down, but whether it was because of Kiba's words or something within his own mind couldn't be determined. Neji had quickened his pace towards the training field and Kiba jogged to catch him, knowing Katana was following silently.

"Jeez, isn't that a little harsh? Is that really what you think of her? You could have fooled me." Kiba studied the Hyuuga's face for any reaction, knowing he was risking his neck by being so intrusive. It was by sheer luck and the fact that Neji seemed preoccupied that he wasn't already unconscious. _I don't know how Katana talked me into this. I've really got to start listening to girls instead of just nodding and staring. _

"Do you need me for anything else?" Neji growled, the bitterness in his voice making Kiba stiffen. "If not, I will request that you leave me be. I don't need you hanging over me while I train."

"Okay, okay, I'll leave. I just have one more question." Kiba mentally prayed that this would work and he would be able to live to tell the tale. "So if you've never had any relationship with Katana, I can have a go at her, right? I can do anything I want to her and I'll be her first and all that. I can—"

Neji's hand was at Kiba's throat instantly, Akamaru barking in surprise but was subdued by one penetrating glare from the Hyuuga. "Touch her in any way against her will and I will not hesitate to kill you. I've killed others who have done her harm, so you would do well to stay away from her."

"Hey! Leh-go!" Kiba gasped as he pried himself out of the Hyuuga's grasp and shied away, Akamaru crouching behind him, whining with his tail between his legs. "For not caring about her, you're certainly overprotective. And you wonder why people think you two were together."

Neji balled his hands into fists, ready to pummel the dog-boy to a pulp and only holding himself back because of the point Kiba had brought up. Something within him seemed to grow cold and he suddenly found himself speaking. "I only helped her because I needed her as a training partner. She was useful on missions and that was all. There was nothing more between us, Kiba, so remember that well. She may be strong as a shinobi, but she is one of the most flawed people I know. She succumbs to her emotions far too easily and is a gullible fool when it comes to illusions."

Kiba stared at Neji, jaw hanging open slightly. "Uh, okay, I get it now, you don't have to continue."

"Furthermore," Neji went on as if Kiba hadn't spoken, compelled to speak by the chill in his system, "She can be very impulsive and doesn't acknowledge her limits. Her jutsu is too powerful for her to handle and she has nearly killed herself on many occasions. And the worse part of it is that she doesn't learn from it. Katana would gladly give her life for a situation that could easily be solved in a different matter and she has a knack for taking control in predicaments where she should provide back up."

"Neji, stop," Kiba urged, glancing around nervously. He knew Katana was still watching them and that these weren't the words she was expecting to hear.

"And she's dangerous. She comes from a clan of monstrous beings that experiment with demons and other dark jutsu. She has her own vices and she can't fully change herself from being like them. From the moment I met her, I knew she would never be a suitable comrade. Her opinions are far too strong for her own good."

"Stop it." The voice came from thin air, but Neji didn't hear.

"She would kill her teammates as soon as kill her enemies. When angered, she has no self-control. My clan made the decision that we should never work together again, and I have never felt safer."

"Please, just stop it," the voice came again, slightly louder, but still too weak for Neji to notice.

"I normally hate my clan for the choices they make, but this is one of the few decisions I support. I no longer have to watch her on a mission to make sure she doesn't kill herself by being foolish. I can perform so much better without her following me. She is insignificant and unneeded. Her clan is filled with immensely powerful shinobi, and I don't blame her for leaving the clan because she could never stand up to one of them. She is weak and has nothing, and she knows it. Under that façade Katana Suterusu has made herself, she is a worthless kunoichi that will never accomplish anything in life."

"ENOUGH!"

Neji and Kiba jumped at the voice, a hazy cloud forming in the air several meters away. Neji paled as the cloud dissipated and Katana stood rigid, staring at him with tears running down her face. Her hair was loose from its typical bun and the sweater she wore was no longer grey; it was black. The Hyuuga mouthed her name, unable to move suddenly as if a paralyzing toxin had been injected into his bloodstream. Her eyes were wide and her expression was one of complete devastation. She gently shook her head back and forth ever so slightly, unable to do anything else except utter on word.

"Why?"

"Katana, I…" Neji could find any words to say. The iciness in his veins suddenly vanished and it felt as if a great pressure had been lifted off of him. "Katana, I didn't— I never—"

"Why? Why, why, why, why, WHY?" Katana ran off into the training field, her breath ragged in her throat as she made sure to smash her elbow into Neji's chest as she passed him.

"Katana! Wait!" Neji, a hand gripping the area of his chest where he knew a bruise was already surfacing, ran after her, leaving Kiba dazed and alone on the pathway.

Katana had fallen to her knees in the middle of the training field, tears pouring down her face of their own volition. She shuddered violently, willing herself to awake from the dream she had endured. Similar nightmares had mocked her every night and she simple assumed that the scenario had once again been a product of her tormented mind. But she could hear footsteps behind her and the pressure of Neji's hand on her shoulder was proof enough that this one nightmare was one she wouldn't wake up from.

"D-don't you dare touch me!" Katana snarled, grabbing his hand and gouging it with her nails, making Neji recoil with the sharp pain. They stared at each other and Katana's expression flickered between hostility and despair. She submitted to the despair and involuntary tears ran down her face with renewed vigor. "Why, Hyuuga? Why did you betray me? Why did you do this? WHY!"

"Katana, let me explain," Neji said softly, but he suddenly realized that something had snapped in Katana; everything she had endured up until this point had been weighing down on her and she had finally reached the breaking point. There was no chance in calming her down.

"THERE'S NOTHING TO EXPLAIN, HYUUGA! I HEARD EVERYTHING YOU SAID! I-I…I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE THAT I PLAYED AS YOUR PUPPET ALL THIS TIME! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU THOUGHT… I CAN'T BELIEVE—"Katana fell into sobs, clutching her skull and shaking her head. "YOU TOLD ME THINGS BEFORE! YOU SAID YOU HAD FEELINGS FOR ME! YOU HAVE TO BE LYING ABOUT WHAT YOU SAID! NO ONE CAN SAY THE THINGS YOU DID TO ME BEFORE AND NOT MEAN IT! I KNOW THEY CAME FROM YOUR HEART! WHY, HYUUGA? WHY?"

"Please hear me out, Katana. It wasn't me. Something was—"

"BULLSHIT! PERFECT EXCUSE FOR THE SITUATION!" She rose to her feet roughly and grabbed the front of Neji's shirt. "DON'T YOU REMEMBER EVERYTHING THAT WE'VE BEEN THROUGH? DON'T YOU REMEMBER EVERYTHING WE HAD? WHY DID YOU DO THIS?" Katana's attempt to shake him faltered and her hands fell slack on Neji's shirt. "Maybe I don't want to know why. Maybe I should just abandon everything." Her voice had fallen away to a whisper.

"Just let me tell you what happened," Neji said, moving to rest a hand on her shoulder.

Katana's eyes flashed and she pushed his hand away, her face savage. "You think you can make things better? I gave you your chance before. Every time we met I told you to tell me it was all a lie. But now it's gone. I see I was foolish to think that you were lying. It was the truth all along."

"Stop it, Katana! Will you wake up?" Neji grabbed her by her collar and roughly pushed her against a tree with a crash, bringing their faces close together. But Katana would be subdued. She struck his hands away from her and punched Neji across the jaw, the force of her blow nearly shattering the bone. Neji stumbled and fell to the ground heavily, spitting blood out of his mouth and staring up at Katana in shock. She still had tears in her eyes.

"You wanted to stay away from me, so I will grant you your wish. I still love you, Neji, no matter what happens, and I will do anything for you. If you truly feel safer without me, then I will never be in your presence again. This is what you want, so this is what you will get. I don't know what else I can do. And if my emotions are the problem, I will do what I can to fix it. Just never forget what I've done, Neji." Katana walked forward and knelt down in front, gazing deeply into his eyes. "Never forget that I love you." She held his face in her hands and closed the gap between them, pressing her lips against his.

Neji inhaled sharply, unable to move as if she had rendered him immobile. The paralysis grew stronger as she cocked her head to deepen the kiss, her tears falling onto Neji's cheeks. She tore herself away quickly and rested her forehead against his gently, licking the blood from his mouth off of her lips. "But even if you're not with me, I'll always be with you," she said quietly before rising to her feet and bolting out of the clearing, leaving Neji stricken and shivering.

"Katana," he whispered, moving his hand to his mouth; he could still feel the gently pressure of her lips on his. He regretted everything he had said; regretted the fact that he had let himself be controlled, regretted the fact that she didn't know the truth, and regretted the fact that Katana was now lost to him. He bowed his head and closed his eyes, wishing that he could turn back time even if he knew it was impossible. "I'm sorry for everything, Katana," he whispered even if she couldn't hear him. "I'm so sorry."

* * *

Katana woke in darkness, feeling as if she was hollow. The moon was still in the sky, but thick black clouds hung in the air, foreboding a heavy rain in days to come. She had returned to Anko's apartment and fallen asleep for the rest of the day, the events too difficult for her to handle. It seemed so much like a dream, so much like one of her nightmares, but the kiss they had shared was real, and Katana knew it was all over.

There was only one thing she could do.

There was a static noise in her ears as if she had been listening to a loud frequency for a long time, separating her from the rest of the world with a dull, white noise. She set her feet on the cold floor, staring down with fazed eyes as her entire body seemed to freeze with a sudden chill. She gently shook her head and focused her mind, forcing the memory of the previous day to leave her mind, knowing it would only drag her down should she cling to them. There would be only one way in which she would remember what had happened, and that would be through the fact that she would, from now on, pretend to be who she really wasn't. She would never let it go, but in the eyes of everyone else, her old self was dead.

Katana rose to her feet and pulled on her black sweater, leaving the apartment and walked swiftly through the empty Konohagakure streets, her mind elsewhere. Everything had gone wrong, everything had fallen to tatters. She had never wanted it to be like this, and now she was doomed to be trapped in the memory and be slow to react because of her mistakes. What she had lost hung over her, so close and yet so distant, teasing her just out of reach. And there was nothing she could do to bring it back.

Knocking on the door of the Hokage's office, Katana waited patiently with her thoughts haunting her. Shizune allowed her entry and Tsunade glared at the young jounin, not pleased to be disturbed so early in the morning.

"What do you want, Katana," Tsunade growled coldly, looking over her clasped hands.

"I've been thinking about your offer and I accept," Katana said without any inflection. It was the only way she could think of to save herself from falling any further. It had saved her once before and she could only hope it would work a second time. "I will rejoin the Anbu."

* * *

"It worked."

Shuhan Suterusu looked up at his kinsman, a cold smile spreading over his features. "Well done. Now we will finally have our chance to capture her. We must act soon though."

"Do not worry," the other Suterusu said with a smirk, cracking his knuckles. "I have the perfect way to lure her into even more despair before I bring her back. Sometimes nothing can hurt someone worse than the truth."

"You did well, Hengen," Shuhan said with an approving nod. "You lured those Hyuuga into the perfect trap; I have no doubt that you will succeed where all others have failed. And the way you were able to control that young Hyuuga, the one Katana has fallen for, was flawless. I see I was foolish to doubt your abilities."

"It was really nothing, Shuhan-sama," Hengen said with a bow, running his hand through his closely cut hair modestly. "Katana will be ours very, very soon. And in the strange event that I fail, Tenma-sama can no doubt finish her off. She will be devastated when I'm through with her, and in her weakened state, Tenma's powers will be more than enough to bring her back."

"Go when you see fit, Hengen," Shuhan said with a nod. "I know you will not fail."

Hengen gave a nod and his body shuddered, his features warping until he had the appearance of another shinobi. Disguised as the other ninja, Hengen left the clan leader's presence, forming a plan to finally complete the mission begun so long ago by the clan. The next time her family came after her, Katana would not escape.

* * *

Author Note: I rewrote this chapter so many times and had so many different ideas and it turned out entirely different then I intended. But I think I like it. I know I'm going to get a lot of review about "Why did Katana flip a shit and then turn around and say she loved him" and "Why did Neji say all those mean things and try to act nice", but try to hold your questions and all will be answered within the next few chapters. You can still ask them if you want. Hengen=transformation, so that will play a role in later chapters if anyone hadn't noticed the connections. So this is chapter 40 counting the prologue, wow. I never thought I would make the fic this long, but as I've said before, things just happen and it can sometimes write itself. And I have a few more ideas left, so stick with me please. =D And I want to know how I did this chapter, so your thoughts and comments are welcome. I own nothing, just the usual. Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	41. Chapter 40: What I've Done

Chapter 40: What I've Done

Shirei looked through his dark hair over at the two Anbu standing several feet away from him, their animal masks hiding their faces and giving them a detached air. Sighing inwardly, Shirei looked down at the scroll he carried, detailing the fourth member of his platoon that had yet to arrive. He knew the time set for them to meet was not until several minutes, but Anbu members were trained to be early in the event something should change. The others were getting restless, rocking from foot to foot and tightening their bracers, eager to set off on their mission.

"Who is this fourth member anyway?" one Anbu asked, looking over to Shirei. "You said that she was new, right?"

"My data says that she was in the Anbu several years ago, but has recently been reinstated," Shirei answered quietly. "The Hokage has also commented that she is often late when an audience is scheduled."

"I can be on time when it is vital," a voice said softly, a figure slipping from the nearby path. "And I was under the impression that we were meeting in five minutes."

Shirei studied her from behind his boar-shaped mask, a frown forming on his hidden face. She was the shortest out of the platoon, yet the air she held herself with was solid and calm as if she had no fear or trouble in her mind. She had four swords strapped to her back instead of the usual single blade most Anbu carried, and the mask she wore was in the shape of a dragon's face. Her brown hair was pulled up into a ponytail with two pieces framing her face, the mask's horns protruding from between the locks. Her mask had the typical colored lines but also had a single black groove running from the outer corner of the left eye to the jaw line.

"You should always be early," Shirei said coldly, pocketing the scroll with the profile. "You will call me Shirei. The one in the cat mask you may call Bunri, and the one in the crow mask you may call Oujou. What is the name we are to address you as?"

Katana was silent for a moment, still uneasy with being given a false name. She had lived her life by being bound to her name, her clan never lenient when choosing what their children would be called. And yet now she was told to be someone else and the feeling was peculiar; the name felt odd passing between her lips.

"Ninku."

"Fine then, Ninku, we are to move out promptly," Shirei said quietly, turning his back on the young girl, her code name striking him as odd. "This is an assassination mission," he continued, addressing his entire platoon. "There are five targets, so I will take two, while the rest of you will get one. Understood?"

"Are you the best fitted of us to take on two targets?" Katana questioned, her tone emotionless.

"Are you questioning my authority?" Shirei replied in a voice lacking all inflection. "You think you have power over me? Remember who your commander is, Ninku, or you will deeply regret the consequences."

Katana narrowed her eyes from behind her mask, the competition awakening the instinct to start a fight and prove her worth. But Tsunade had harshly told the former jounin not to cause any trouble and to remember her place lest she wished to be removed from the organization. She set off after Shirei as he leaped off into the trees, Bunri and Oujou following quickly as well. Their pace was rough, the Anbu trained to withstand harsher conditions than most shinobi, and they had traveled to the boarder of the River Country in a single day.

Katana watched Shirei carefully, noting how he often turned his face to her direction as if he were trying to steal glances. They had finally stopped to rest a kilometer from their targets' residence once Oujou nearly collapsed from exhaustion. He was newer to the organization than Katana and was still unaccustomed to the rigorous actions, his body pressed to the limit. Shirei had reluctantly allowed them to make camp, mumbling that he had planned to stop to regain their energy anyway for the next day's assassination. Katana clutched her shaking limbs together, grateful for the rest but trying to stay strong in front of Shirei. He didn't care for her to begin with and she didn't want him to believe that she was weak and unable to work under the strenuous conditions. She had to live up to the name that Tsunade had given her.

"The pictures I'm giving out are your targets," Shirei said, walking around to each of them and handing out slips of paper. "You will assassinate these people and these people alone. Do not touch anyone else. Our mission is to be swift, so get in, slit their throats, and get out, understood?"

"Hai, Taichou," Katana, Oujou, and Bunri said in unison. Shirei collected the pictures after they had thoroughly studied their targets, exchanging them for a layout of the Daimyo's mansion.

"The Daimyo has a scheduled meeting with our targets tomorrow, and they are to meet in that large hall you see outlined," Shirei continued on to his team. "There is a ventilation network running through the building, so we can easily enter and crawl through to the meeting hall. The blueprints say that there is one vent opening leading strait to the ceiling of the hall. We simply drop down while they're unsuspecting, complete the mission, and get out the way we came."

"Will there be guards in the mansion?" Bunri questioned, lifting his masked face. "Considering it is a Daimyo and his esteemed guests, they would be expected to have protection."

"That's why I said not to attack anyone else," Shirei said, recollecting the blueprints. "Our targets will be easily distinguishable from the guards, so take them out and leave the others alone; we want as few casualties as possible."

"Taichou, may I make a suggestion?" Katana spoke up, inclining her masked face in Shirei's direction. He gave a slight nod of his head, but Katana could sense that he was reluctant to let her speak. "Because of my kekkei genkai, I would hardly have any difficulty with this mission. I can go in and single-handedly take out the targets without being seen. They won't know what hit them and I'll be gone before they can realize that their leaders have been murdered."

Shirei's head snapped in her direction and he was on his feet instantly. Katana closed a hand around one of her swords, but Shirei was unfazed by her actions. His hand was at her throat before she could react, and he lowered his head to her ear, the small tusk of his boar mask grinding into the side of her head.

"You are in no position to make claims like that," he said softly, his voice still lacking emotion. "In the Anbu, teamwork is everything. Stray off on your own and you will certainly die. I am your commander and you will do as I say. You may have been a leader in the normal ranks of shinobi, but in the Anbu, you hold no power. Take your time and follow protocol and maybe you'll prove your worth. But until then, you follow orders, or I will personally arrange your expulsion from this organization."

Shirei released her promptly and walked off, acting as if nothing had gone wrong. Oujou and Bunri were rigid where they stood, faces turning warily to their commander and comrade, unsure of whom to side with. Katana readjusted her mask and turned away, her anger not nearly as strong as it would have been. It had only taken several days of training in the Anbu for her to gain control of her reckless emotions, the chastisement harsh for all who let their features or voice waver with inflection. Katana calmed herself and slowed her quickened pulse until she was in full control of herself before turning back to Shirei.

"Now that we've established some system of superiority," Shirei began, casting Katana a glance by slightly turning his head, "we will leave promptly. The meeting starts at nightfall, and we want to be in position long before then. Let us move." He made a signal with his hand and the four Anbu shot off into the night once again, appearing as vaguely shadowy blurs as they ran through the darkness.

* * *

Neji rapped his knuckles onto the door of Anko's apartment, patiently waiting for an answer. He stood silently for several minutes, time dragging on painfully slow. He knocked on the door again, resisting the urge to use his Byakugan to see if she was there. He had been brought up to respect the privacy of others and he was always told never to use his kekkei genkai for such matters as looking into another person's residence without justifiable reason. But the situation was different. Neji was just about to knock on the door one final time when it was roughly tugged open.

"What the hell do- Oh, hello, Neji," Anko said in obvious bewilderment. "What are you doing here? Looking for Katana?"

"Yes, it is of the utmost importance that I speak with her," Neji said swiftly, his voice more forceful that it normally would have been. "I—"

"Well, I'm sorry, but I can't help you."

Neji paused and gave the special jounin a questioning look. "What do you mean? Is she on a mission? Could you at least give her a message for me?"

"No, I'm afraid I can't," Anko continued with a shake of her head. "She doesn't live here anymore."

Neji stared at Anko, caught off guard by her words. "What are you talking about?"

"She's has had her own apartment for several days now. I found out from a note she left tacked to a pillow on the kitchen table. She said she was sorry but it was for the better and some other heart-jerking junk that made no sense. She said the pillow was for the one she had busted a long time ago when she first came back. At first I was confused as to how she could afford her own apartment, but, then again, the Anbu pays a lot of money for completed missions."

"The Anbu?" Neji echoed, realization hitting him. She had said there was only one way for her to cure her emotions, and he finally understood what she meant. She had joined the organization known for its heartless members. And Neji knew it was his fault.

"She came by two days ago to get her stuff, and, man, already she's a drone. She spoke like one of those electronic voices, you know? No inflection and no emotion whatsoever. It scared me, seriously. It's amazing how fast people can change once they get into that organization. And- Neji, are you alright?"

Neji had felt his face become cold, knowing he had paled considerably despite his normally fair complexion. "Where is she living now?" he said quietly. "Where can I find her?"

"That's one of the things that really confused me," Anko said, her tone suddenly quiet and foreboding. "She made a specific point of telling me not to tell you where she now resides. It was really strange. It sounded as if she really doesn't want to see you again. What happened between you two?"

Neji looked away, furrowing his brow and trying to clear his thoughts. "I thank you for your time, Anko-sensei. And if Katana returns here, tell her I'm looking for her and that we need to talk. Tell her that it is vital." Neji gave a slight bow and walked off down the hall, his pulse rapidly increasing.

_What have I done? Why has it come to this? How could this happen? _Neji ran a hand over his face, trying to clear his thoughts. He had made her become someone she didn't want to be, he had made her give herself up. She had done it for him and he didn't want it. It hadn't been his choice to tell her what she heard, some other force acting upon him, but now it was too late. He had spoken so many lies, lies that he had never meant to say, and now he could only draw regret from the truth that Katana was farther away from him than ever.

Neji headed for a training field, planning to meditate to calm his raging thoughts. He sat at the base of one of the largest trees, sighing heavily and closing his eyes to banish everything from his mind. Yet his lifelong hobby was eluding him no matter how desperately he tried to separate himself from the world. He normally would have been able to drift off into his pensive mindset with ease, but he couldn't clear his mind or relax enough to slip away from the world. Never before had something caused him to react in such a way. Normally he would have been able to brush a situation off without any nagging or guilty thoughts. But, for a reason he could not understand, the guilt that plagued him was a feeling more suffocating than being drowned by water.

Footsteps and voices tore Neji from his attempts to meditate and he opened his eyes, watching and waiting for who ever would enter the training field. The unlikely pair of Riki and Amaya stopped short as they locked eyes with the Hyuuga, their conversation cut off immediately.

"Oh, hi, Neji," Amaya said with a grin and a wave. "Sorry to interrupt you."

"You weren't interrupting. I wasn't deeply involved in anything." Neji rose to his feet and began to walk out of the area. "I will leave you to your training."

"There's no need to rush off," Riki said, lazily resting his hand on the handle of the axe strapped to his back. "Join us if you want to. Unless, of course, you have other plans."

"Hey, where's Katana?" Amaya innocently questioned, glancing up into the trees surrounding them. "I haven't seen her in a while. Is she close by? She's usually with you, so… Is everything alright?"

Neji regretted letting himself slip, letting his guilt leak out for no longer than to reveal a micro-expression, but it was just enough for Amaya to catch. "It's none of your concern," he said in a biting tone, becoming instinctually defensive in his time of weakness. "Don't involve yourself in my personal matters."

"Er, we didn't mean to intrude," Riki quickly interjected, raising a hand. He could still distinctly remember his discussion with the Hyuuga about Katana's well being, the discussion in which he had lost the fight that had followed. "You just seem…a little uptight. Do you need to talk about anything? And if not, just tell us where Katana has been. As Amaya said, it is unusually to see you two apart."

Neji looked over to one of the trees in the training field, noticing several gashes in the bark that had only slightly grown over. There were four ruts and they seemed to be made by swords. "Katana is currently in the Anbu Black Ops."

"Wha-? No way! That's crazy!" Amaya stared at Neji with an open jaw. "Why would Katana do that?"

"What happened to her?" Riki questioned softly, head bowed as if in deep thought. "The last time she joined the Anbu was when she needed to gain control of her emotions so she wouldn't lose herself. That was when our genin sensei and other teammate were killed on a mission." Riki lifted his head and looked Neji in the eyes. "What made her go back to the Anbu this time?"

Neji continued to stare at the gouges in the nearby tree, only half aware of what he was saying. "I didn't mean to hurt her… But it is my fault. I was…being controlled by something. I don't know what it was, but I couldn't stop myself from focusing my mind on every vice I knew she possessed. Something held me…it was like being trapped in ice…and I couldn't stop myself. Only when she became visible did the power controlling me relent. I…I never meant to… She didn't believe me when I said I didn't mean what I said. And, to tell the truth, I don't blame her. After all that has happened, I…" Neji wrenched his eyes away from the tree, and looked up at Riki and Amaya. "I apologize. I shouldn't be—"

"Don't be sorry," Amaya said, her expression worried, but Neji could almost detect a smile dancing behind her eyes. She had never seen the Hyuuga speak this openly and his concern for Katana was more blatant than he would have liked."You seem to need to talk to someone. Bottling everything up inside isn't really healthy. So she joined the Anbu because you…well…broke her heart."

Neji heard Katana's words echoing in his head, the words that told him she still loved him, and the pressure of her lips against his was still imprinted on his memory. "I should be going. I'm sorry to trouble you, but thank you for your time."

"Tell her the truth," Riki interjected before Neji could leave. "Find her and tell her that you were controlled. Do anything that you can, but just get her out of that organization. With what happened last time, she won't get any help from there. If I know Katana at all, what she really needs right now is you."

Neji felt uneasy at Riki's words, the gravity of the situation slowly sinking deeper and deeper. He gave a nod and bade them farewell, taking care to reconstruct his well-composed expressionless mask before he returned to the world of prying eyes where any exposed weakness could prove dangerously costly. He had never given any specific thought as to how deeply he felt towards Katana. They had endured too many experiences to not have forged a bond made of links of pain, sorrow, and the occasional link of hope or happiness. He had helped her, he had hated her, he had listen to the stories of every hardship she had faced. He knew love was a strong word, yet he also knew that Katana meant what she said. He was far from certain that he would ever speak such an impacting phrase to anyone at the current point in his life, but he did know one thing for certain: Katana had a different affect on him than any other female he had ever met.

_If there is one thing I need to do, I need to take Riki's advice,_ Neji determined as his thoughts continued to separate him from the world around him. _Even if she doesn't believe me, I at least need to let her know that I never meant any of it. _The path ahead of him was unclear and filled with uncertainty, but Neji knew there were only several things he could do. He wanted to clean the slate between them, even if he could not be sure of the outcome, but at least she would know his side of the story and she would put her thoughts to rest. Maybe then she would forgive him and cross out who she had become.

* * *

They were waiting. It had been the same way for the past three hours, and there was still no sign of movement in the room below.

Shirei looked at his subordinates, taking note of their rigid positions, their muscles tense with the apprehension that they would be signaled to strike at any moment. Shirei was reasonably comfortable in the air vent; he had been in much tighter vents and in many more cramped positions before. He was calmly laying flat on his stomach adjacent to the ones in the crow and dragon masks, his cat-masked comrade resting beside him. They were either sides of a grate leading into an enormous meeting room, the area where their targets were scheduled to meet.

Katana, Oujou, and Bunri had all had the shadowy doubt that there had been some mistake and the meeting had been moved to a different part of the mansion or had been canceled altogether. But they didn't dare to speak their concerns; a specific part of their Anbu training had been centered around the art of silence and the ability to be invisible in plain sight. Any sound could be the deciding point of whether the mission would succeed or fail. They all kept their words to themselves, resigned to keeping a hand on their swords in preparation for the moment when they would be signaled into action.

Another half hour passed before the door of the meeting room finally opened, a long line of people streaming inside. The four Anbu peered down through the grate, carefully watching each of their targets take their seats, two guards taking up positions at either side of each chair. Out of the fifteen people in the room, Katana easily spotted her victim, his vivid blue hair tied back under the ornate hat atop his head. The guards held their weapons tightly, ready to defend against anything that could cause potential harm, but their weapons would have little effect on shinobi.

The meeting began and the Anbu remained rigidly still, waiting for the ideal moment to strike. As was typical of meetings between Daimyos and their esteemed guests, an argument began to rise, starting out as a stinging insult and escalading to nearly a fistfight. The guards were occupied thoroughly with trying to keep the men as civil and unharmed as possible, and Shirei made a hand motion to be prepared. His other hand closed over the grate and he gave a subtle glance at each member of his team. With a flick of his wrist, he wrenched the grate aside and the four Anbu leaped out of the vent, descending like angels of death upon their unsuspecting targets.

There was hardly time to react as each Anbu sprang onto their victims, swords flashing with the glint of steel to be covered in gushes of ruby blood that spilt down onto the floor. Katana easily dodged the lunge of a spear as a guard tried to impale her, and she sent him sprawling with a kick to his side. She whipped around to find her team, seeing the other three either making their fatal sword strokes or keeping the guards at bay. But Katana caught a flash of movement heading towards the door of the room and her heart leapt to her throat.

"Taichou! The other is escaping!" she called, amplifying the volume of her voice while keeping it emotionless. She looked over at Shirei, seeing he was occupied with fighting off the guards without killing them, and she took the incentive to eliminate the target herself. He was halfway out the door and Katana shot after him, hearing Shirei's voice roar behind her.

"Don't you dare move, Ninku! Follow orders!"

But Katana, still unfamiliar with the code name, refrained from hearing him, and she shot out the door. With swiftly woven hand seals, she disappeared from view, the two guards assisting the target to flee horrified by her sudden departure. Katana, hot on their heels, drew two of her swords, prepared to eliminate the guards in one move before they could react.

But one stopped and dove in her direction even if he was looking elsewhere. Katana dove to the side, preparing to strike until something behind her met the guard in mid air. Oujou was distinguished because of his crow-shaped mask, locking blades with the guard. He knocked the guard aside, clearly struggling not to kill him because of Shirei's orders. But the second guard, while Oujou was distracted, sprung over Katana's hidden figure and stabbed his spear into the upper part of Oujou's chest were his armor didn't reach, spraying blood from the deep wound. The Anbu gave a cry and sunk to his knees, sustaining another blow as the guard once again buried his spear into the shinobi's chest.

Katana wrenched her eyes away and sprang after the stunned target, swiping her swords and lopping his head from his shoulders in one swift move. She spun around and smashed her elbow into the guard's head, freeing Oujou from his attacker. She sheathed her bloody swords and knelt down next to her wounded teammate, grabbing the arm on his uninjured side and hauling him to his feet while supporting most of his weight. Shirei and Bunri appeared out of the meeting room, blood splattered onto their uniforms.

"GO!" Shirei snarled, his voice monotonous, yet booming in the high-ceilinged hallway. They made a hand seal simultaneously, vanishing from the interior of the mansion and appearing inside the forest around the area where they had made camp.

Katana lowered Oujou to the ground, resting him flat on his back. His breath came in short, wheezing gasps, his body wracked with spasms from the wounds inflicted to his chest. Katana ripped the mask from his face, allowing him to breathe easier, and she quickly wove hand seals. Glowing powerfully violet in the dark night, Katana set her hands over the gaping wound, trying to heal the gouged flesh and stop the torrential bleeding.

"Give it up, Ninku," Shirei hissed, his voice a foreboding whisper. Katana didn't react, her mind blocking out all noise as she focused deeply on her current task. "Stop wasting your chakra, girl." Katana still didn't respond, her jaw set firmly as she forced more chakra into her hands. "ENOUGH!"

Shirei grabbed her by her ponytail, roughly dragging her to her feet and away from Oujou's dying body, his fist coming across and clipping her harshly against her chin. Her mask flew off and Shirei forced her to the ground, gripping her throat once again, but this time applying a steadily tightening pressure. He could now see that the black etching on her mask was in fact mirroring a scar on the left side of her face, but he only stared into her eyes, his emotionless tone worse than if he had been screaming at her.

"I specifically told you not to go off on your own. I specifically told you to follow protocol and follow my orders. You seemed to forget everything and you heeded nothing I warned of. Because of you're ridiculously foolish actions, your comrade is dead. He ran after you, so you're the reason he has sustained those wounds." Shirei forcefully threw Katana flat onto the ground, rising to his full height over her. "I have half a mind to send a message to the Hokage right now and tell her to expel you from the Anbu. And I just might do that. But we'll wait until we return to the Village. So, in this current time, I would behave and follow my commander to a T if I were you. Are we clear?"

"Transparently," Katana replied in a voice lacking inflection. Shirei walked over to Bunri and Katana sat up, reaching over and retrieving her mask without looking over at her other teammates. She crawled over next to Oujou, seeing that he was still alive. He had a nice face, his features rounded as if he had never lost all of his baby fat. But the blood trickling out of the side of his mouth and his ashen-pale skin took away from any good looks he may have had. He looked over at Katana, eyes steadily growing glassy.

"Thank you for trying," he whispered, nearly choking on his blood. "But you should stand back."

One of the most vital lessons the Anbu were taught was what to do if they knew they were to die. Oujou weakly took his mask and rested it on his chest, slowly weaving hand seals and closing his eyes. Katana stood and retreated several paces away, knowing what was to come. She and the others didn't flinch when Oujou burst into flames, his body rapidly being consumed by the hungry fire. Every Anbu member was required to destroy their bodies should they be mortally wounded, allowing no other person to cull information from their corpses. Katana watched Oujou disappear and she continued to stare at the pile of ashes and charred area of the grass long after he was gone. She realized that she wouldn't have to worry about killing herself; her body would be reduced to ashes of its own volition when her life ended because of the jutsu her clan placed her under at birth.

Keeping her sighs to herself, Katana replaced her mask and looked over at her teammates. Without any other delays, they shot of into the night back to Konohagakure. But this time, Katana ran at the rear of the group.

* * *

"I know it's odd that I give you a solo mission, but it requires one man of your talents," Tsunade said from behind the mission scroll unfurled in front of her eyes. She looked up at Neji and sighed. "I could have squeezed Katana into this mission as well, but considering the circumstances that isn't really an option."

"Hn," Neji replied curtly, his stoic nature unwavering.

"Now, all you need to do for the mission is—"

The door flew open and three people flashed inside, crouching on one knee with their heads bowed in the back of the room. They were Anbu, clad in full uniform with their masks hiding their identities, and they didn't move in the slightest of ways. Not even the typical rise and fall of their chest was present, making it seem that they were not breathing. Neji scanned them closely, noting the shape their masks displayed. The one in the middle, obviously the leader of the group, had a boar mask, the one to the right had a cat-shaped mask, but the one to the left caught Neji's attention. With the tattoo of the organization on her right shoulder, she was unmistakably female. Neji stared at the dragon-shaped mask with the black line engraved on the left side, her brown hair, and the occasional scar on her arm. It was, without any doubt, Katana.

"I see you've completed your mission," Tsunade said to the boar-masked Anbu, but a frown creased her features. "But where is the fourth member of your group?" The one with the boar mask inclined his head in Katana's direction and she looked up towards Tsunade.

"There were…complications," she said, her voice as monotonous as a drone. "But nothing of the sort will occur again, I assure you." She lowered her head again, her submissiveness making Neji uneasy.

"It's a shame he's gone, but these things happen." Tsunade pulled a scroll from one of the bottom draws of her desk. "You will leave immediately for your next mission. Go where you must and gather your supplies, but leave as swiftly as possible. There will be another person to complete your platoon when you reach the Gates. You are dismissed."

The Anbu commander stood and took the scroll from the Hokage's desk. The three nodded simultaneously and vanished as blurs, their departure undetected even by Neji's keen eyes.

"Now, as for you, Neji," Tsunade continued, her attention back on him. "Just read the scroll and be on your way. You're dismissed too." The Hokage picked up a stack of papers with an annoyed expression. She glanced back up at him when the Hyuuga didn't move. "I said you could go. I have paperwork to do."

Unsure as to why Tsunade had let him go without finishing the briefing properly, Neji didn't prolong his stay. He sprang onto the next building once he was outside, activating his Byakugan and scanning the area intently. The faintest shadow flashed by at the edge of his vision and he turned in the direction. Chakra at his feet, Neji shot off in the direction of the blur, the chakra pattern he detected signifying it was Katana. She was far ahead of him and keeping the pace of an Anbu member: breakneck and swift without seeming to notice the obstacles around her.

Neji followed her through Konoha, her destination unknown to him, but she seemed to be oblivious of his presence. She was traveling towards the shady buildings on the side of the Village where the most crimes occurred, the area avoided by most people. Neji quickened his pace, determined to catch her or at least discover where she lived. But Katana suddenly changed her direction and was rushing towards him at full speed, her mask keeping her face concealed. She was crossing the distance between them rapidly and Neji could not react. He skidded to a halt and crossed his arms over his chest, preparing for the impact of their collision.

But at the last moment, she leaped into the air and flipped over his head, landing with her back towards him. He turned to face her and she glanced over her shoulder, the round, dark eye holds of her mask cold and foreboding.

"Why are you following me?" she asked quietly, her voice as blank and expressionless as her mask.

"We need to discuss what happened." Neji took a step forward and she spun around to face him.

"I heard your words loud and clear, so nothing more needs to be said. You are certainly a confusing man, Neji Hyuuga; I won't deny that. I expect you will begin to tell me that you hate me now, or will you say you care? You always seem to say the opposite of what was said previously, so what will it be this time?"

"Enough, Katana," Neji firmly commanded, but she didn't move in the least from his harsh tone. "You need to know the truth."

"You had your chance to tell me what everything truly was. You gave that chance up. It's too late, Neji Hyuuga."

"No, it's not." Neji hung his head and smirked ruefully, coarse laughter lacing his words. "Look what you've done to me. Never before have I acted in ways such as these. Never before have I said words of this kind. But if it is what it takes to prevent you from becoming a monster and losing yourself, I will do what I must. Just let me give you the truth so you can put to rest what you thought of me."

"I must go, Neji Hyuuga," Katana replied as if she had not heard him. "I have a mission to attend to."

"The mission can wait." Neji looked up at her, studying her mask as if he could somehow detect what she was feeling. "I just want to start again. Will you at least listen to me? Whether you believe my words or not is your choice, but just hear my side of the situation. I—"

Katana suddenly disappeared and Neji could feel her presence behind him. He felt her kick the back of his knees, sending him to the ground with a thud. He looked up at her, but her mask hid whatever expression was on her face if there was even one at all. She stared down at him, then lifted her hand and made a single hand seal, disappearing in a shadowy blur and leaving Neji alone on the rooftop.

* * *

Author Note: Hellooooo, everyone. I know I've been MIA for a while, but I've had a loooottt of things going on. I know this may not have been the best of chapters, but I have had major writer's block and a bunch of other situations that are hindering my creative flow. Next chapter should be good. Anyway, translation and symbolism and junk: shirei- commander; boars are symbolic of leadership; bunri- separation, detachment (he wasn't really important to any of them); cats can symbolize detachment; oujou- death (he died); crows (obviously) symbolize death and stuff; ninku- endurance (Katana's been through a lot). I think that's everything. I know that Neji may have been OOC, but I've been having a tough time with the pairing thing and crap like that. So give me your thoughts if you want; any feedback is valued. I own nuttin, just the usual. And I hope to update sooner than before. Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	42. Chapter 41: I'd Come For You

Chapter 41: I'd Come For You

Days melded together, time became unimportant. There was only running, fighting, and surviving, the endless stream of missions and assignments filled with peril and testing the Anbu with methods most heinous. Consideration was nonexistent, the shinobi worked like dogs only to be given a nod and another mission as a reward. It was often said that the payment for a completed mission for an Anbu member was the fact that they still possessed their lives, and it was a payment that many didn't receive.

Katana knew she was lucky.

In the past weeks, she had had too many brushes with death to ever let her guard down; she was always alert and focused even when within the protective walls of the Village. She has seen teammates come and go, dying and quickly being replaced without a second thought or a word of sorrow. They were rotated and selected whenever they were needed, and Katana found herself unable to remember all the different types of animal masks she had witnessed on the faces of her comrades; they had all melded into one blur by the time she was running along side them on her way to destroy an enemy hideout or assassinate a prominent figure.

In truth, Katana had never been so proud to be apart of the Suterusu Clan.

Her kekkei genkai had not only given her an enormous advantage on missions, it had also saved her life more than once. She had been under enemy retaliation more times than she would care to admit, and her invisibility allowed her to remain out of their crosshairs, letting her escape where others had been much less fortunate. She had never been the only one to return, but she lost two of her teammates more often than not. And their spots were filled as easily as if they were insignificant objects; Anbu members were never treated in the full extent that people should be. They were selected for their abilities and they were only alive to use those abilities to protect and serve the Village.

Katana stumbled into her apartment, letting the door softly click shut behind her. She dragged her feet across the ground, not even having the energy to lift them fully. Out of the sight of her comrades and superiors, she could let her weariness show and expose how exhausted she was. The Anbu would never tolerate any display of weakness and the slightest slip could come with the worst of consequences. But having only eight hours of sleep over the span of an entire week while being sent on a constant chain of missions was enough to break even the most seasoned of ninja. And even though she constantly tried to expand and push them, Katana had her limits.

She was thankful for the reprieve of her missions, no matter how short it was. Slinking straight to the cramped bedroom of her current residence, Katana only removed her vest, mask, gloves, and bracers before collapsing on top of the sheets. She had never realized the ridiculous treatment and amount of missions when she was in the Anbu in her younger years. But it had occurred to her that she was of more use now that she was older. With more talents and better endurance, she would be given more assignments that would require her, far more than when she was younger.

She stared up at the ceiling, the white paint flaking and peeling, her mind utterly blank and still for once. She was so accustomed to have to be thinking and processing information and planning ten steps ahead in seconds that the chance to lay still and be completely inactive was odd yet extremely welcomed. She knew she had paperwork and other matters to address, but her exhaustion pulled her down and made the blood in her veins turn to lead. Sighing heavily, Katana closed her eyes slowly in an attempt to possibly fend off sleep for only a moment longer, but darkness claimed her the moment her eyelashes met.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

_The landscape became familiar, the swirling vibrancy of the colors reminding Katana's unconsciousness of other times prior. The invisible ground beneath her feet was solid and firm, but she had an uneasy twist in her stomach. Her life was like the ground, there yet invisible; serving only one purpose that could never be changed. Yet, one day, this invisible ground might just vanish, gone without any warning or reminder of what it had done while still present. Katana would fade as well while her existence in the Anbu was like all the others: useful but expendable. _

_'You think far too much,' the deep voice echoed over the celestial terrain._

_'I should have guessed that you would be here,' Katana responded quietly, watching the white dragon step towards her with coldness in his icy blue eyes. He seemed to be staring through her, gazing into her mind and reading the thoughts at the front of her subconsciousness. The realm belonged to him, granting the dragon powers he would never posses while awake. 'What do I own the honor this time.'_

_A low ripple rose from Yume-Tatsu's mouth, his lips curling in a snarl. 'You can really piss me off sometimes, you know that? You're such an idiot. Just look at yourself. Look at yourself!' The dragon continued to approach her, not stopping until his snout was nearly brushing Katana's nose. She didn't falter before him, her face remaining as blank and composed as ever. The dragon scrutinized her, eyes narrowing as another growl rumbled from his chest. 'Remind me next time to refuse the orders of the Dragon Elders. Next time, I won't bother to come and see what's wrong so we can possibly give our assistance.'_

_'Then leave now.' Katana daringly returned the dragon's glare. 'I have no need for you here and you obviously don't care to have any business with me. Be gone.'_

_'If only it were that simple.' A rueful smirk stretched Yume-Tatsu's maw. _

_'Just leave me alone. I don't need any other people trying to help me. I don't need help to begin with.'_

_'Cut the crap, Katana,' the dragon snarled, eyes flaring. 'This matter us urgent, and I'm starting to see that my presence is needed for the situation.' He continued his harsh scrutinizing glare, scanning her up and down. 'You need to leave the Anbu.'_

_'You know I can't do that.'_

_'Shut it. You very well can do it. You're so blind to what's actually going on and what's been happening to you.'_

_'I don't know what you're talking about.'_

_The dragon gave a rumbling roar and rose to his hind legs, smoke curling from his nostrils. He glared down at Katana, teeth bared aggressively. Katana remained unmoved._

_'Will you let me finish my thoughts!? I would kill you if you were a normal person.' The dragon lowered to all four feet again, sitting on his haunches and struggling to control his flaming temper. He saw Katana open her mouth with another remark, but he lashed his tail out and kept her in silence, the blow nearly whipping her. 'As I was saying, you're changing again. And I'm not the only one who doesn't like it.'_

_'So all of this is because you care?'_

_'Speak again and I won't hesitate to hurt you.' The threat was passive, but Katana knew better than to tempt Yume-Tatsu; she already had a scar on her back from his claws. The dragon sighed to control himself and resumed speaking. 'Have you even taken a moment to realize what you've become? You're losing yourself a little too fast for us to be comfortable, and I fear it's going to take something much more monumental than a four-year mission to bring you back.'_

_'What do you know about me? What gives you the right to say things like that?'_

_'Look at yourself.' Yume-Tatsu extended one of his clawed forefeet and a swirling cyclone of color rose from the ground. It slowly ceased spinning and became smooth and reflective, revealing Katana to herself in the makeshift mirror. _

_She was surprised at first but kept herself impassive. The circles under her eyes were black and heavy, proof of her lack of sleep since joining the Anbu. Her appearance in general was weary: her arms hung limply at her sides, her hair cascaded down her back like a drab, muddy waterfall, her clothes rumpled and wrinkled, her skin pale, and her expression blank. She looked as if she was just an empty shell, the spirit long gone and lost with only its body left to plod the lands of the living with heavy steps and a missing heart._

_'You see? Are you proud of yourself?'_

_Katana unlocked the morbid gaze of her reflection and looked up at the dragon. 'What if I said I was happy this way? Who are you to decide whether or not I want to be like this?'_

_'First of all, I can't tell a single thing from you. You're emotions are a closed to me as a rock. I'm actually impressed. But that's beside the point. How could you be content to be a zombie?'_

_'You have no idea what's been going on.'_

_'I think I should get an idea.'_

_Katana looked up at Yume-Tatsu, the serious expression on his face making her breath hitch involuntarily. 'You wouldn't dare.'_

_'I would.'_

_'The Elders will punish you.'_

_'The reason is justifiable. I will not be persecuted.'_

_'Don't make a move or—'_

_Katana's voice was cut off as the dragon's blue eyes flared red and the star and moon between his eyes flashed brightly. She felt an icy knife stab into her skull and her legs buckled and she fell to the ground, clutching her head and fighting against Yume-Tatsu's invasion._

_'Resisting will cause you more pain. Let me into you mind.'_

_'N-no, d-dragon! S-stop!'_

_'You're making me think that you have something to hide. I only had to do this before when you first began to summon us. Prying out your ordeal with your family and the Hyuuga was a hassle, so you're making me think that your recent memories hide something along those lines.'_

_'S-so wh-what? B-back off!'_

_The dragon growled lowly in his throat and Katana felt as if an electric shock was pulsed through her brain. The lightening lines coursed into the depths of her unconscious mind, the part normally inaccessible when she was asleep. She fought back as best she could, trying to raise a barrier between the dragon's mental probes and her memories or deter him in any way. But her mind was weak, the days of stress and hardships wearing her down and making her resistances feeble. Talon-sharp hooks clawed at her memories, raking across her mind as they tried to catch anything of use or interest. _

_Katana could feel her eyes ache, turning red as the dragon's chakra seeped into her own. She felt a sudden wave of heat rise from the base of her spine and the pain in her mind wavered. The dragon growled and seemed to wrestle with the resistance, but the heat soon receded rapidly, the pain returning stronger than before. _

_'H-how did—'_

_'We gave you the seal on your lower back to stop alien charkas from taking you over. However, all of us dragons know how to override its defenses so it means nothing to me. But don't worry, my chakra won't have any effect on you.'_

_'L-let me g-go,' Katana hissed, feeling the mental gauntlet grasp further and more tightly onto her elusive memories. She gave a pained groan as the claws drew the memories forward, something that should not have occurred in her slumbering state. The memories were roughly dragged to the front of her consciousness, forced to reveal themselves to the dragon._

_The first memory made her stomach twist and her throat constrict slightly. The image was a milky blur with smudges of color that slowly became defined. She was standing in front of Neji, their forms locked close together. She had her forehead pressed against his, his voice slowly becoming understandable. He was speaking of how he had been forbidden by his clan to see her._

_'Of all the memories to be most prominent in your mind, they have to be ones with him,' Yume-Tatsu grumbled as he pushed the image aside. It felt like he had slapped her across the face, his actions rough and inconsiderate. He moved to the next memory his gauntlet had fished out. _

_The next memory made Katana's heart wrench, her head pounding as her memories were forced to the surface of her mind. Neji was standing adjacent to her, his expression cold and his words were biting. His voice became clear as he said the harsh words to tear her apart, saying that he had couldn't bare her emotions, saying that it would be better if they never met again. _

_'Foolish,' the dragon muttered, but paused for a moment. Katana could feel him slow the memory, the change in speed burning her mind as it sluggishly crept along. 'That's odd… Never mind.' Yume-Tatsu swiped the memory aside and drew the next one forward. _

_'P-please. St-stop.' Katana struggled to fight against the memory, but the dragon growled and her defenses were instantly rendered useless._

_The next image became clear faster than the others, showing that it had been in her mind more frequent than the others. The Hyuuga was standing next to Kiba, his words stinging and hateful. Katana struggled to breathe, caught between the pain of the dragon's analysis and the pain the memory evoked. Yume-Tatsu scraped the memory to a halt, the pain knifing deep within Katana's mind as she began to shake and tremble. Yume-Tatsu examined the memory, examining the expression on the Hyuuga's features closely. The unnatural pause in time grated on Katana's mind, the oppression painfully stifling her breath and weighing down on her mind like a spiked lead weight. _

_'Hmph,' the dragon grunted, speeding the memory past, creating terrible tearing scrapes of agony against Katana's consciousness. Yume-Tatsu was passing over their heated argument, pausing sporadically as Neji tried to atone for his words, examining facial expression or reactions. 'Interesting,' the dragon mused, releasing his control of the speed and letting the memory play out. _

_'N-no,' Katana choked, watching herself punch the Hyuuga in the jaw and kneel on the ground in front of him. 'S-stop!' But the dragon held the memory steady until it played out, and a low growl rumbled in his throat as he watched her kiss him. _

_'Some things I will simply never understand,' Yume-Tatsu muttered. Katana felt the gauntlet delve into her memories again, dragging forth her most recent occurrences with the Anbu. The dragon sifted through them, gleaning information that was needed and casting aside all that wasn't. He finally sated his need to invade her mind, culling the episodes of her life that had brought her down the most. Withdrawing his mind and chakra from her, the dragon's eyes faded back to icy blue, staring unrelentingly at her trembling figure._

_Katana gasped for breath, supporting herself on her hands and knees, feeling her eyes dim back to their usual brown hue. Her head throbbed in agony and she closed her eyes tightly, trying unsuccessfully to fend off the pain. 'Some of those things were n-not f-for your eyes d-dr-dragon!' she stammered in an angered tone, her limbs slowly beginning to cease their shaking. 'You h-had no r-right to d-do that, m-monster!'_

_Yume-Tatsu remained silent, staring at his summoner with a gaze as blank as her own. 'I seriously do not understand you,' he muttered after several minutes as Katana caught her breath. 'But at least I got an emotional response from you. I guess I don't have to be as worried as I was. But still.' The dragon lowered his head, bringing it to be eye level with her collapsed form. 'You're a very confusing person. You hear that Hyuuga say he hates you and you believe him, then he tries to explain and you kiss him full on the mouth. Now you evade the very thought of being in his presence.'_

_Katana took control of her ire and recomposed the emotionless mask the Anbu had taught her to make, rising to her knees and locking Yume-Tatsu's eyes. 'My business is none of yours. Let me go on as I wish.'_

_'I can't do that,' Yume-Tatsu said, giving his head a slight shake, his voice gaining a slightly regretful tone. 'Are you truly that blind? Could you not read his expressions? Didn't you see that he never meant any word of hatred he spoke to you? Didn't you see his despair when you said that you believed him? Or were you too captivated by his voice to read what his heart was truly saying?'_

_'I don't want to hear this,' Katana growled, turning her head as to not look at the dragon. _

_'No,' Yume-Tatsu responded, snaking his neck around to meet her gaze again. 'You're too fearful. You don't want to be proven wrong. You don't want everything to have fallen apart because of a mistake or a misunderstanding.'_

_Katana bowed her head, features and voice fully returning to their impassive state. 'Too much has occurred between us. We could never have the relationship we once did. It's better this way.'_

_'Wrong,' the dragon growled, lifting his head and rising to his feet. He turned away, starting to walk slowly off into the celestial landscape. 'Go to him, Katana. Learn his story. Right this wrong. Let the Hyuuga give you the truth, the truth you so nervously evade. If not, I fear the worst.' The dragon was absorbed into the myriad of colors and they instantly turned black, plunging Katana back into the blank void of dreamless sleep._

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

A hand tightly gripped her shoulder, jolting Katana awake instantly as she instinctually reached for a kunai even if her leg holster was absent from her thigh. She stared up at the masked figure standing over her, suddenly recognizing the shape of a boar's face. She sat up as the figure backed away from her, standing next to the ajar window that served as his point of entry.

"Shirei-taichou," she said softly, watching him carefully. "What are you doing here?"

"I was told to get you," he replied quietly. "The Hokage has a mission for us, so prepare yourself and go to her office as soon as you are capable. I will meet you there." He turned and slipped out the window, vanishing as quickly as he had appeared as the panes snapped shut behind him.

Katana sighed and rose stiffly, retrieving her supplies from the floor where she had dropped them. Her thoughts wandered over her encounter with Yume-Tatsu, her head throbbing as if on cue. Muttering under her breath, she fought off the stab of agony that assaulted her heart, his final words troubling her greatly.

_What if Yume-Tatsu is right? What if this is just a big misunderstanding? What am I going to do? How can this…? How can I…?_ She shook her head roughly, occupying herself by pulling her hair into a ponytail and searching for her mask. Finally ready to depart, she left her small apartment after yet another sleep-deprived night to complete another mission that could very well end in her death.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"You're absolutely sure? You trust her enough to take on the responsibility?"

"I have my doubts, but I would like to give her a chance. She seems to lack the mentality of a subordinate; being a leader is her nature. And if she fails, it will most likely end in her death. Just don't make the mission too important. We wouldn't want anything to be greatly effected by this."

Tsunade stared into the eyeholes of Shirei's mask, brow knitted and fingers steepled in thought. She had been aware of Katana's progress in the Anbu, but she never would have expected her commander to request that she be promoted. Especially so soon after one of their missions. Shirei had always had a set system for disobedient squad members: he would give them the most menial roles on missions, loading them with insignificant grunt work such as far-off spying or mapping of an area. They were not life threatening tasks, but they made an Anbu member miss most of the more vital parts of the mission, denying them the experience and credit they were due. Only once they realized the mistake that they had made did Shirei assign them better roles. And by then, they were so unused to being in peril that they hardly ever survived the mission.

This had not been so with Katana. She had quickly adapted to each situation, yet still had her moments of superiority when she would take things into her own hands when she was not meant to be in charge. Shirei saw that she was far from content to be designated as backup, and her leadership skills would be enough to keep her alive for a larger period of time than most. So his request had been made even if it was actually just a test to see whether or not the girl could survive as a commander. She had always had someone to come to her aid should problems arise, but as a commander, she had no one to save her but herself.

Katana had been positioned outside and entered the Hokage's office once summoned, her mask still on her face. There was a tense silence between the Hokage and the Anbu members, but the latter were trained to remain frozen still and silent until addressed. Tsunade shuffled some papers, still unsure whether or not to risk Katana's life because of Shirei's request. She finally broke the silence by smacking her pile of papers down on the desk.

"Okay, here's the deal." She was looking directly at Katana as if Shirei was nonexistent. "I'm not promoting you, so don't let this get to your head. I'm sending you on a mission as the commander, but it's not official. Just consider this a test run, and if you succeed, I'll get it approved by the Anbu Council to affirm you promotion. Understood?"

"Commander for one mission? Only a test run?" The eyeholes of Katana's mask gave Tsunade an empty stare, but her mind was considering the issue. "I see you don't believe in me. You don't trust that I can pull through." Katana lowered her head, but a muffled noise that suggested humor slipped from beneath the dragon mask. "And I don't blame you. I'll take your mission. And I'll show you that I'm useful." She lifted her head again, hidden eyes directed to the Hokage. "So when do I leave?"

"Two days from now," Tsunade replied, pulling a scroll from a drawer in her desk. "Be at the Gates at three in the afternoon, no sooner and no later. Until then, you will be free."

"Understood, Hokage-sama." Katana took the scroll from Tsunade and cast Shirei a sidelong glance, catching his head bow in the slightest nod before he disappeared in a shadowy blur. Katana rapidly followed suit and left Tsunade to her paperwork.

* * *

Neji viciously pounded his palms against the wooden post, each stroke causing the wood to splinter and crack. His mind was blank, his attacks flowing smoothly and consecutively out of pure instinct; planning and analyzing were vital to a shinobi, but primordial reactions and reflexive movements could be just as crucial. His combination continued and he ignored the sharp pricks of pain each time he made contact with the splintered surface of the post, finishing his attacks with Kuushou and shattering the wood like glass.

Releasing a slow breath, Neji stood straight and examined the post carefully, noting that it was broken into more pieces than the first post he had begun training on. He looked down at his hands, the skin reddened and raw, some sections punctured, and a slight amount of blood was surfacing from the deeper wounds. He channeled chakra to his hands in the event that any of the wood had embedded itself under his skin, but the precaution was unneeded.

Scanning the empty training field, Neji had an unsettling sense of déjà vu before he could realize what was bothering him. He had not trained alone frequently since he was placed on Team Gai, his spans of solitude few and far between. He had always had Tenten to train with or either of the Green Beasts, if he dared, but the three had been sent on a mission without him because he was needed on another assignment at the time. And Katana was out of the question. She seemed to have disappeared from the Village, the Anbu swallowing her up and keeping her away from the rest of society for their own interests. He had not seen her since he had confronted her on the rooftop and a mild sense of unease always lingered in the back of his mind; she had been slipping away quickly and worse things could have occurred: her life could have been claimed by an Anbu mission and he would never had known. He never thought that her state would have such an impact on him, but because Katana's condition was primarily his fault, the infrequent pit of guilt rested lightly in his stomach whenever he thought deeply of the subject.

And like the fluttering of a butterfly, a blur flashed across the outer proximity of the range of his Byakugan, racing quickly over the ground. Neji turned to face the direction, intensifying the chakra flow to his eyes to strengthen his kekkei genkai as much as possible. The flutter had been so swift, almost not even there, that it had to be someone of the Anbu; they were the only people who moved that quickly within the walls of the Village. And by the time Neji had increased his field of eyesight to its full extension, the Anbu was just leaving his range, but Neji was still able to glimpse the shape of their mask and the tattoo on the right arm. As if his thoughts had called to her, Neji ran after Katana, channeling all his chakra to his feet to increase his pace and close the gap between them.

Katana was unaware at first, her pace remaining at the same break-neck speed, but Neji was able to gain on her quickly, evading trees and other foliage as he raced after her. The Gates were still a distance away and the training field areas would extend far enough for her not to reach an open area before he caught up to her. Calculating the distance and their paces rapidly, Neji knew that he would reach her if he remained undetected. But Katana did not remain ignorant for long.

She turned her masked face to the side just enough to catch sight of the pursuing Hyuuga and her pace greatly increased as if she had been moving at nothing more than a brisk walk prior. She jinked off into the training fields, diving and weaving in, out, and behind trees as nimble as a mongoose. Neji followed her swiftly but her evasion abilities seemed to have grown and he was unable to remain in her exact path. He ran along through the trees above her as she zigzagged between and through trees, her body little more than a smudged blur at times. Neji slowly got closer to her, her diverted path allowing him to cover the distance between them as she sprung around. Realizing his approach, Katana ceased her rapid direction changes and bolted off to the left, keeping her path steady and swift.

Neji's Byakugan was draining his chakra and he lessened its range, channeling the energy to increase his speed. Katana's own chakra was racing throughout her body in a way dangerous to any shinobi, but her speed was decreasing; even the Anbu had their limits. In a flash of silver and black, Katana had drawn one of her swords and threw all her momentum into a tree branch, snapping the limb clean from the trunk with the force that she landed. It took less than another second for her to turn completely around and spring towards Neji, sword raised to attack. Neji slammed into a tree branch as well, feeling in crack and splinter but not break because of his better control, and he stared into the eyehole's of Katana's mask, the dragon's features blank yet filled with a subliminal malice that came from killing countless people for no other reason than because of an assignment.

Neji moved his body slightly just before they collided, blocking her sword with his arm before it impaled him, but her force knocked him off the tree branch. They fell through the air, Katana's sword inches from his face and her other arm wrapped around his neck. He could feel her grip tighten as the fall grew longer and Neji released chakra from his back just before he hit the ground, sparing himself they major damage. Katana's hold on him was jarred and she rolled over the ground to break her fall, her sword dropping as she came to rest. Neji weakly sat up and looked over at her motionless body, resting on her stomach and facing away from him.

"Katana?"

She did not respond.

"Are you alright? Are you injured?"

Still no response.

Neji narrowed his eyes. "Will you—?"

She was on her feet and had her sword in her hand in a matter of seconds and Neji could only instinctually raise his arms to block her sword as it swung towards his head. He stared at the blade, realizing that it had not cut him because the sharpened edge was pointing upward, not against his arms. Whether it was a mistake or intentional, Neji did not have time to ponder. Katana was drawing another sword and Neji shifted his arms, making the first sword slide against the ground. Without his resistance, Katana pitched forward before she could catch herself, but it was enough time for Neji to sweep her legs out from under her. She hit the ground and fell into a swift backwards roll, springing to her feet again as Neji managed to rise to his.

"Is it impossible for us to just talk?" Neji questioned with a mocking smirk.

"Your words mean nothing," Katana replied in an empty voice. "When will you understand that I do not want to see you ever again? I thought that was what you wanted. Why are you here? Why are you pursuing me?" Neji began to respond, but she suddenly cut him off. "I actually do not want my questions answered. I do not believe I could endure more lies."

"Will you just listen to me? For just one moment if nothing else, that's all that I need."

"Shut up," Katana growled, swinging her sword at him.

Neji leaped back and dodged her second sword, forced to fall into his Jyuuken stance. She drove her two swords into the ground and wove a complex pattern of hand seals, all four of her swords beginning to tremble. She threw her arms out to the sides and her swords rose into the air, levitating near her outstretched hands. Neji had only see the jutsu once before and knew that he was at a disadvantage.

"Just leave now and I will not hurt you," Katana murmured softly.

"You wanted the truth, right?"

"What are you talking about?"

"That is all you wanted, correct?"

"It is too late for that."

"Let us talk and I will be honest."

"I do not want to hear it!" Katana swung her arms across her chest, her four swords flying straight towards Neji's head. He drew two kunai and struggled to evade the blades, blocking two and nearly getting sliced by one. The other embedded itself into a tree behind him and Katana began weaving her hands and arms the way Kankurou of the Sand did while wielding his puppets. Neji was being pressed farther and farther back, the distance between him and Katana growing larger and larger. He noticed her moving subtlety away as if in preparation to run and her swords moved faster than ever. She would escape if he did not bridge the gap between them, her body already tense and ready to sprint away. She threw her swords forward viciously and caught the side of Neji's shirt, just grazing his side, and turned to run.

Neji knocked her swords aside, fearless about getting wounded and threw himself toward her. She was seconds away from disappearing when his hand closed around one of the straps of her vest and dragged her back. She twisted to free herself, weaving her hands to move her swords, but Neji threw her into a tree and her swords clattered to the ground. She lunged forward in defense, but met Neji's palm to her stomach. She stumbled back against the tree, her gasping breath echoing in her mask; the palm thrust had no chakra powering it, but the force still knocked the air from her lungs. She made one last attempt to escape, but Neji grabbed the front of the straps of her vest and pinned her against the rough bark of the tree. He swiped the mask from her face and returned his hand to the strap, glaring harshly into her eyes.

"What do you want with me?" Katana hissed impassively. "Why must you do this? What more agony can you cause me?"

"If you would listen to me, I would be able to explain everything."

"Do no such thing. You have said what you wanted to, and I have accepted it."

Neji's eyebrows came slightly closer together, his mouth set in a hard line. "You don't accept it; that much I can tell. Don't dwell on what I said before. I didn't mean it."

"Must we go through this again? I have heard you say those words before and I know that they are hollow. I am tired of the lies."

"Then listen to me now. I was being controlled when I was talking to Kiba. I'm sure of it."

"Really? Is that the best excuse you could think of?"

"So you won't believe me? Is there nothing I can do?"

"I said it before: your words mean nothing. I cannot trust what you speak, so—"

"Then are actions what will convince you?"

"Why will you not let this go? Just—"

Neji moved his hands from the straps of her vest to the sides of her face. He stared into her eyes for another moment before meeting her lips with his own. Katana inhaled sharply through her nose, frozen stiff with shock. Her eyes widened before fluttering closed, her mind wiped blank and her tense body relaxing. She could feel him deepen their kiss and her limbs seemed to go numb until she felt nothing except the pressure of his lips. Katana lifted her arms slowly and her hands slid down his forearms and crept up to his shoulders. She tightly clutched his shoulders and felt herself leaning into him when her eyes flew open and she pulled away, the situation finally sinking in.

"W-what are you d-doing?"

"Actions speak louder that words. Is that not how the saying goes?" Neji returned his hands to the straps of her vest and heard her breath come in gasps worse than before. She closed her eyes and, for the first time in a while, an expression cracked her face. But it was one of pain.

"They were right." Katana hung her head, the hair framing her face casting her eyes into shadow. "The both of them."

"What?"

"Riki and… Sentaku. They both told me that… you would only cause me pain. And they were right. But, you know," she looked up again and her eyes had an underlying cold humor, "I'll admit that… I guess I'm a little bit of a masochist. And you're lucky. If I wasn't, I'd probably be dead." The humor in her eyes suddenly faded and she cast her gaze downward, breath hitching. She suddenly pushed him back by his shoulders and his hands released her straps, but she remained against the tree with her head bowed. "But now… what am I supposed to do? I do not know whether you love me or you hate me. This confusion… What am I supposed to believe?"

"Look at me, Katana," Neji said quietly, seeing her eyes flicker up to him though her head remained bowed. "I'm quite sure that you remember the way I was before I knew you well. Did you ever think that I would do something like this? I was blindfolded to everything and possessed a closed mind, but now I see. You have seen a side of me that no one else has. And no one else ever will."

"Please, just stop talking," Katana whispered, closing her eyes. "I cannot take this."

"Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"

"Please, stop, Neji." Katana slipped away from the tree, staring blankly into space with her back to the Hyuuga. "If you give me any more reasons to believe you, I just might be torn in two from the dissent in my heart. I cannot think this through now. I have a mission and I am the commander this time, so I must be on my way." She swiftly moved around the clearing, retrieving and sheathing her swords while keeping her gaze averted from the Hyuuga. She paused once the only object she needed was her mask, but Neji stood between it and her. He picked it up off the ground and extended it towards her, his gaze as blank as hers. She reached for the mask and took it carefully from him, her eyes meeting his.

"Before you go," Neji began, taking a step forward and taking hold of her wrist, "I just want you to know one thing." She did not flinch from the contact, but her body was tense and Neji could almost read the division in her eyes; she was so torn that not even her emotionless state could cover it up. "I may have lied, but I promise you that I did not do it intentionally. And if you are ever lost and find yourself all alone, I will come for you. I will be there, but only if you tell me to."

Katana felt the light pressure of his hand on her wrist disappear and she opened her mouth slightly as if she wanted to say something, but she decided against it and slipped her mask onto her face.

"I… I need some time to think this through," Katana said softly. "And… Hopefully I will not be ripped apart while doing so." She vanished in a shadowy blur.

Neji turned away and walked slowly through the training fields, a weight added to his shoulders and a weight relieved: she knew the truth now, but the disunion of her beliefs could possibly be the end of her. There was nothing more he could do at the time and he could only hope that she would turn to the action if she could not believe the words. And that she would turn to him once her mind was at rest.

* * *

Author Note: Hellooooo, everyone. I've been MIA again, I know. But between my procrastination of summer homework that I seriously needed to crunch one, I've (once again) turned into school's bitch (yeah, school owns me). But school has started again so I should have a schedule and update every weekend like last year. And about the OOC... I hope it wasn't too bad; I haven't been having the easiest life in the current times, so my creative flow is really shot and I just wanted to get a chapter out since it's been over a month. And may I ask why there were only two reviews for last chapter? I'll blame it on the same reason that I didn't update: school. But I really like reviews, and because I've been really unsure about my work lately, I'd really like some feedback so I can improve where I can. Okay, so I hope this chapter was okay and I plan to update next week at the latest. I own nuttin, just the usual. Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	43. Chapter 42: All Nightmare Long

Chapter 42: All Nightmare Long

They were waiting as was usual for the Anbu. It was the waiting that was the most dangerous. Should they be found before the time was right, be discovered before the situation had shifted to their advantage, death would be nigh impossible to avoid. Breathing was hardly allowed, the slightest sound of movement giving just enough of a hint for the enemy to find them and strike first. And it would usually only take one blow before the Anbu took the initiative to resign themselves and combust their bodies.

And hiding between the walls was one of the hardest places to remain idle and undetected.

Katana's ears were straining to grasp anything, hear any sound that would give her the slightest clue as to where their target was. Footsteps would echo from the opposite sides of the walls that they were between, but there were never any voices whispering confidential knowledge that would be of any use. The mansion was already on high alert because of a foolish wrong step one of Katana's underlings had made, causing their current placement wedged between two thick barriers of plaster. Katana finally understood the saying "the walls have ears"; you could never be sure as to who might be lurking within them.

Another rhythmic crescendo of footfalls approached, faster than the others had been as if the person was in a hurry. Just as the rapid steps were fading, a gentle murmur of words whispered through the plaster to Katana's ears. She strained her ears even more, pressing the side of her head to the wall and sent a gentle shower of loose plaster crumbling down. Her subordinate beneath her suddenly moved, the plaster dust slipping through the eyeholes of his mask, making him instinctively rub his eyes. His arms brushed the side of the wall, sending more plaster crumbling and sprinkling the other squad members and the floor below. The sound was hardly audible, but it was enough. Just enough.

The receding footsteps stopped short and Katana silently cursed. The footsteps grew louder until the stopped right in front of where the Anbu platoon was positioned. Katana could imagine the other person standing adjacent to her, ear pressed to the wall as a mirror of her own actions. But Katana was the one who was not breathing and not fearing that the mission was over. The footsteps soon retreated away from the wall, hesitant as to whether or not it was safe to depart. After several seconds that lasted agonizing eternities, the person walked away much slower than they had come.

Katana knew better than to be relieved that they had escaped notice, the threat still eminently hanging over them. But the Anbu closest to the ground was not as wary. He let a sigh of relief pass from his mask and Katana became even more rigid than she had previously been, her heart leaping to her throat. But there were no footsteps or loud alarms ringing through the building, no cries of panic or guards racing towards them with weapons raised. No, the only sound was the silence ringing in Katana's ears and a gentle, steady whisper. _Shhhhhhhhhhh_. Katana felt her mouth run dry.

"PAPER BOMB!"

The wall exploded before she could react further, the violent vibrations wracking her body harshly. She, along with her other three squad members were thrown back into the other wall as it crumpled and caved in, forcing them into another room in an area that was entirely wrong for their mission.

"FOUND THEM! THEY WERE IN THE WALLS!"

Katana tumbled across the ground, struggling to regain her balance and rise to her feet. Her teammates were worse off than her, still sprawled on the ground, disoriented and unaware. Katana drew two of her swords and sprang after the people collected in the room, avoiding their weapons and striking them dead as swiftly as she could. The alarms were sounding, signaling that the high alert status was official. Katana looked at her squad as they finally rose to their feet, staring at the dead bodies littering the floor. She had been given newly inducted members to lead on her first mission as commander, making her mission much more difficult because of the need to supervise them like they were children.

"Let us go. Our mission has now become one ruled by time; should we stay here any longer than is absolutely necessary, we will die." Katana and her team bolted from the room into the outside corridor and sprinted at top speed. Katana led and cut down any person who stood in their way, her subordinates taking out anyone who got past her. They doorways on either side of them became a blur, their racing speed making sight one of the weakest senses. Katana veered sharply as they turned a corner, remembering the words of the scroll they had been given as to where their target was. She stopped in front of a door and quickly attacked another guard that had approached them and one of her squad members opened the door.

He was promptly impaled through the stomach and it took only three hand seals to ignite his body like a piece of tinder. Katana eliminated the guards that streamed out of the room, receiving slight assistance from her remaining comrades when they were able to get an attack in. Katana used a swift Katon to kill the foremost guards and drive the remaining back, allowing the remainder of her platoon to advance within. There were two small groups of guards that one of her subordinates easily knocked aside with a Fuuton, throwing them against a wall forcefully and knocking most of them unconscious. There was only one person left in the room standing with their back against the wall.

"That's our target?" one of the Anbu murmured, tilting his head towards Katana.

"Yes," she replied in a low tone. "Even the most insignificant of people can have important futures when they get older." Katana stared down at the young boy standing against the wall, terror on his round face as looked up at the three Anbu with wide eyes. "This boy will be a Daimyo of an enemy country when he gets older. We cannot let this occur. It is our mission."

"May I do the honors?" the other Anbu questioned, drawing the single sword he carried.

Katana turned her head towards him and blinked behind her mask. "Go ahead. Just be swift."

The boy whimpered and flattened himself further against the wall behind him as the Anbu stepped forward. Katana heard footsteps from above and down the corridor getting closer and she urged her subordinate to hurry, knowing that they would not have much time to escape if they were delayed. The Anbu suddenly seemed hesitant as he raised his sword, locking the fearful eyes of the young boy.

"Are you going to act or not?" Katana questioned, preparing to step forward herself if her teammate would remain idle. She suddenly spun around and unleashed several kunai on the guards that had appeared in the doorway. She could hear a high-pitched cry from behind her as the Anbu completed his task. Katana wove several hand seals and released another Katon, allowing one of her teammates to break a hole in the wall with an explosive tag. Setting the doorframe on fire to keep the guards at bay, Katana shot through the wall with her subordinates tailing her closely. Katana saw a window along the corridor and made a break for it, smashing through the glass and dive rolling into the open air outside.

"GET THEM! DON'T LET THEM ESCAPE!"

The roaring order rose from above them as the team landed on the ground and instantly began running, sprinting for their lives fast enough to be seen only as blurs of movements. Arrows sunk into the ground around them like deadly raindrops, not coming close enough to reach their targets but still posing a threat. Guards that had been stationed in the surrounding area were rushing back to provide reinforcements, a head-on collision seeming eminent as Katana led her platoon forward.

She wove hand seals swiftly, stopping short and driving her hands into the ground forcefully. Pillars of earth rose from the ground and formed a barrier between the approaching guards and the Anbu squad, impaling the few that had been out in front. Katana sprang over the barrier and her team followed, leaping over the guards and escaping the prominent danger. The sounds of the guards quickly faded behind them as they raced off into the forest, putting as much distance between them and the main area as possible.

"We cannot stop moving until we get farther away. And even then we might be risking ourselves. Just stay close and—" Katana suddenly looked behind her and threw herself at one of her comrades, knocking him from the path of an arrow shot towards him and that sunk into her shoulder as a result. Several other arrows whizzed through the trees, hitting branches and trunks with heavy thunks and snaps. Katana grabbed her two teammates and pulled them into a run, making them return to sprinting for their lives.

Katana finally stopped slowed down once she could feel blood running down her back and her breathing was tight and strained. They had covered enough distance for Katana to feel moderately safe and she lowered to the ground, looking at the arrow shaft protruding from her shoulder. She looked at her subordinates, noting that both, because they were new, were having difficulty breathing and enduring the conditions. She motioned for one to approach her and instructed him to remove the arrow from her back.

"This does not look trivial," he murmured. "You would be best to incinerate yourself while you still can, taichou."

"Do not question my orders. Remove the arrow." Her mask kept her wince of pain hidden as he obeyed her and she quickly wove the seals to initiate her medical ninjutsu. "I have never been one to give up easily. This wound, although it may have been the end for some people, will not me my cause of death." The wound closed smoothly after several minutes and Katana rose to her feet, flexing her fingers to get her blood flowing after losing some of it through her wound.

"Are we returning to the Village now?" the other Anbu asked, tilting his head in her direction while looking off to the distance.

"Unless you wish to stay here and risk your life further," Katana retorted, looking in the direction that led to the Village. "Let us be on our way. And be swift for we do not wish to be captured." They ran off through the forest, slower than Katana would have preferred, but she had to compensate for her minor blood loss and the exhaustion of her teammates.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Is something wrong, taichou?"

Katana snapped her head in the direction of her teammate's voice, pulled from her thoughts. The leaves stirred in the trees, the gentle whispering seeming to herald the coming of some sort of evil. The noise was like a hissed warning, telling her to run away and flee before the danger found her.

"Are we going to continue on? We have rested long enough and we should be able to reach the Village by noon if we begin now and do not stop."

"No…" Katana looked up to the trees, knowing there was something lingering over her, something waiting to strike at its prey. "You two go on ahead. There is something I need to… check on."

"Are you sure, taichou? Will you require our assistance at any point in time?"

"No, this is something I must do alone. Return to the Village and tell the Hokage that… I will be back eventually." Her subordinates did not move at the uneasiness in her tone. "Obey my orders. I am your commander, and I told you to leave." The two Anbu nodded without another word and ran off as two blurs, leaving Katana alone with the eerie whispering of the trees.

She looked up to the leaves and examined each branch closely, searching for something, anything, that would explain the sensation of being watched. But there was nothing, no object waiting, no predator preparing to spring. It was just her, the shimmering leaves, and the murmuring wind. And a scent that did not belong to nature. Katana drew a kunai and threw it into the tree in front of her, striking the bark near one of the highest branches.

"Well, well, well," a mocking voice called from the tree, followed with a warble of laugh. "It seems I won't be able to disguise myself anymore, which is something I've never said." A man became visible on the branch next to her kunai, staring down at her with a sardonic smile. "Look at our dear little 'Tana. Not so little anymore I guess. An Anbu commander and able to detect me by scent alone… I'll admit that I'm impressed. But you're still foolish. Some of our trainings are still with you as I see it; you can be so blind at times."

"Hengen Suterusu," Katana said coldly, loosening one of her swords from its sheath. "Of all of us, I never thought that they would send you. You base your strength off of deceptions, illusions, and tricks. You will never win in a physical fight against me."

Hengen let out another pulsing laugh. He wore all black; his robe-like shirt having long, wide bell sleeves and his pants were loose around the ankles. He was one of the few Suterusu with a crew cut, his hair hardly several centimeters long. Yet his eyes were as piercing as any, brown like mud like the rest of his relatives. He wore no shoes, but his ankles and wrists were wrapped as far up as Katana could see.

"You may look important and intelligent in that uniform and mask, but your naivety is unparalleled."

"Enough words. Why does every one of you who wishes to fight me want to attempt to undermine me before drawing their weapon? Why can't you just attack me straight on for once?"

"First of all-" Hengen lifted one finger with a mocking, yet knowing smile on his features "-we want you alive, so we don't want to risk injuring you in a way that will make our plans for you difficult to accomplish. Second of all-" he lifted a second finger "-I'm not here to fight you. My sole purpose to be here is to talk to you."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Katana slowly drew her sword from its sheath, showing that she was ready for any move he might make against her.

"I mean just what I say. I have something to tell you, or bring to your attention, rather." Hengen leapt off the tree branch and landed adjacent to her, the smile never leaving his face. "I would have thought you would have realized it by now, but it seems we have played as your puppet master better than we thought possible."

"Try me," Katana growled, drawing another sword and running forward.

Hengen leaped backwards, drawing a kunai and running up the tree he had previously stood on. Katana followed him swiftly, closing the distance between them with the speed learned from the Anbu. But Hengen turned and ran towards her, kunai raised and face smirking. Katana swung her sword, but he ducked easily and his kunai caught the lip of her mask, ripping if from her face. Hengen opened his arms and collided with Katana, pulling her to the ground with him off the tree. Katana's swords were jarred from her hands as she hit the ground, feeling Hengen release her on impact. She rolled to her feet and looked back at Hengen, watching him slowly rise from the ground.

"You certainly make things difficult. I was warned by our dispatcher that you would be a burden to subdue." Hengen wiped a smudge of dirt from his face and chuckled at Katana's expression.

"Most of you have spoken of your dispatcher. Is it my father? Has he been calling the shots?"

Hengen snickered and looked at her with mock humor. "No, I'm afraid you're wrong. Your father seems to be delegating his powers to others of the clan. No, your brother is our dispatcher."

"My brother?! Ashi?! He's been choosing who comes after me?" Katana balled her hands into fists and gritted her teeth. "Must he still try to have control over me? Must he still try to make my life a living hell?"

"Oh, Tenma has been doing more than that, 'Tana." Hengen picked up Katana's swords and looked at them intently, ignoring her as she drew her remaining two. "The same as your name binds you to what you fight with, Tenma's name is what he must be. He will be a demon that will wreck havoc on your life. That is why I am here." He gently tossed the swords to Katana's feet, leaving himself unarmed.

"You think that I will simply let you stand here and talk?" Katana warily retrieved her swords and glared at Hengen. "You will meet the same fate as the rest of you who have come after me."

"Oh, I have no intention of returning to the Suterusu Clan. Tenma told me that this was a suicide mission. I'm here to tell you what we have done, get you angered, and get killed by your blades. It is all well played, but I just have to stay alive long enough for you to let me explain what we've done. Now shall I begin, or—?"

"Why don't we skip a step and I'll kill you right now?" Katana began weaving hand seals, but Hengen mirrored her movements, weaving his own unique string of signs. His figure warped and twisted, suddenly contorting and changing. In a matter of seconds, Hengen had disappeared. And he was replaced by Katana's mother.

"Try to kill me now," Hengen mocked, speaking in her mother's voice, her kind face broken with a cold smile. Katana was frozen, breath caught in her throat; she had not seen her mother in over a decade but she was exactly the same as she remembered. But Katana's eyes suddenly narrowed in anger.

"How dare you! Of all the people you could become, you choose my mother!" She clutched her swords and ran forward, hardly giving Hengen time to react. But he suddenly thrust his hands forward and she was thrown backwards, knocked clean off of her feet.

"You probably don't remember, but your mother was always skilled in Barrier Ninjutsu. That's why she was such a good mother; nothing would ever be able to touch her children."

"You bastard."

"Actually, my parents were married." Hengen reverted back to his normal appearance, his mocking smirk unwavering. "Even from the beginning, you were always our little play-thing. We could do anything we wanted to you and you never thought anything of it."

Katana started to get to her feet, but could not lift herself. She clutched her chest as it suddenly tightened painfully, and looked down. A large marking was spreading over her Anbu vest.

"Your mother also added a seal to the barriers on occasion, as you can see from your current immobility. Now, as I was saying—"

"Will anyone ever let me be free? Or are all of you sent to control me?" Katana knew her chakra seal given to her by the dragons would have no effect; Hengen had the same chakra as her.

"Oh, no, 'Tana. Kuragari wasn't sent to control you."

Katana stared at Hengen from the ground, furrowing her brow in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"It seems I've forgotten to give you a brief overview. Let me explain." Hengen wove his hand seals and transformed into Shuhan, Katana's father. "Your father has always liked having control over the Clan. You were always expected to be different and rebel occasionally, so he kept a stronger hold on you than the rest of us. And as you grew and became even more outlandish towards our customs, we had to make sure that you wouldn't get too out of hand. However, it seems we failed in our ways. But that was not your father's choice." Hengen's figure warped and he turned into Tenma as the way Katana remembered him as Ashi. "Your brother was the one who thought of that scheme for Genkaku to conduct, so he's the reason that you went AWOL. But that didn't stop us."

Hengen returned to his original form, expression becoming cold. "You were out of our hands for those four years, so we couldn't do much to control how you would grow or strengthen. But it appears that you have done just fine on your own. But once you came back-" Hengen let an icy smile stretch his features "-you were our puppet again. We hunted you down without mercy. We hunted you down and reengaged the nightmare you had been living all along. Your puppet strings were reattached the moment that you set foot back within the Village."

"Wh-what are telling me? What do you mean that I'm your puppet?"

Hengen strode up to Katana, bending at the waist to look her in the eye. She could feel his breath upon her face, his laughter making it come in short puffs. "I'm saying that everything you have done, everything that you have experienced, everything that you have chosen to do, and every interaction you've had with someone has never been because you chose it freely. Not even your relationship with your Hyuuga friend has been with your own actions. We have made everything occur for you; we have placed the puzzle pieces of your life together in the ways that we see fit."

"No way. That's impossible."

"Far from it. Let me elaborate." Hengen wove his hand seals again and became Kuragari, the first Katana had fought. "Kuragari was only sent to cull information. Darkness was what he knew, so all he had to do was look into the darkest parts of your heart and gain all the information he needed. And once he returned alive, we took everything we needed and used it to shape who we would send next. And that was how it started."

Hengen morphed into Genkaku, his frail body unmarred with the gaping wound Katana had inflicted to his chest. "We sent our dear illusionist next, making sure that you remembered what was done, or refreshing your memory had you been able to push it aside. Genkaku knew what to bring forth because he was the one who caused your first encounter with the other Hyuuga, and because Kuragari had told us of the Hyuuga you had sparred with. We knew to bring hatred between you two, possibly increasing your lust for his blood. If you had murdered him, you would have come running home to escape the authorities that would have pursued. But that wasn't the case, although it was no matter to us."

Genkaku suddenly changed into a man who Katana did not recognize at first, but she saw the axe he carried and realized that it was the man who had led the rebels on the first mission she had gone on with Team Gai. "This man was a mercenary we hired. He had never been the true leader of the rebels, just taking the position for this occasion. He attacked and nearly killed you, correct? But your Hyuuga friend came to save you, and you began to trust him more, right?" Hengen's smirk darkened as Katana's eyes widened. "We were the reason you started to develop feelings for him."

"Stop it. That isn't the way things were!"

"Wrong." Hengen's next shape was of Gaidoku, Katana's poison-wielding uncle. "Your brother sent your uncle to attack your friend, realizing that you had a chance of falling for him again. His true mission was to eliminate the Hyuuga, but he failed, as you know. However, when you saved the Hyuuga's life, your relationship was furthered more than we thought was healthy. But, after some time, we realized that it could work to our advantage. That Hyuuga was the only that you held onto, it seemed, so we rationalized that if we sever your mooring rope, you would fall into despair and return to us. And that is why we sent Kei."

Hengen transformed into Katana's sister, bow unstrung in her quiver. "Keikoku was able to draw out your anger, an anger that was almost as pure as the ire you felt towards the Hyuuga in the genjutsu. And the real Hyuuga would finally see what you really were towards your family members. He saw you as a monster, correct? I'm sure he came to hate your for a time, but he apologized, didn't he? So we saw that you weren't close enough to him yet."

"How can you know this?" Katana whispered in disbelief.

"All questions will be answered soon." Hengen suddenly took on the appearance of the first Rinji Seibutsu she had fought, the hulking figure staring down at her. "We sent the creature you see as something to reinforce the bond you shared with the Hyuuga. You channeled the dragon's chakra and nearly killed yourself, but he was the one who saved your sorry butt and walked right beside you throughout your recovery. You became very close with him then, am I right?"

"Stop this! I don't want to hear any more!"

"But I'm not finished." Hengen took on the appearance of Oboe, the memory-warper. "We sent Oboe and Hyouketsu to remind you why you hated Hyuugas. We made you experience your brother's scheme again, believing that your bond with the Hyuuga was strong enough to devastate you should it be severed. And you were certainly rocked by the experience, and the added hallucinations were a bonus that worked perfectly. We were certain you would return, but we had to make sure. We sent some of us to attack a village in the Fire Country, a village we were certain that you had a connection." Hengen grinned at Katana's horrified expression. "Yes, it was us who caused the destruction of the village where you met some people from your four-year mission. We thought that you would have killed the Hyuuga sometime while you were away, but we had no idea that you had been freed from the hallucinations or that your younger brother would been there. He certainly threw a wrench in our plans."

"So you sent another Rinji Seibutsu after me."

"Exactly." Hengen altered himself to resemble the monster, long arms dragging the ground and black tongue lolling out of its mouth. "We decided to try again with your bond, so we made sure that the people you were with nearly got killed. Your brother's death was a happy accident, but that was of no interest to us because you valued the Hyuuga even more. And after that, it was my turn."

Hengen transformed into a Hyuuga, elderly and dressed in noble clothing. "Tenma sent me to be an inside man. I posed as the Hyuuga elder I murdered and got to work. I told the other elders all the nasty secrets about our clan, making them realize what a bad person you were. I also saw that your friend was beginning to accept that he truly cared for you and that his feelings were not false. So I played with him a little. I was able to convince the elders to forbid you two to see each other, persuading them that I had captured one of our clan a while back and interrogated him so that my information was the truth. They are very gullible when it comes to the safety of one of their own." Hengen reverted to his true form.

"The boy was easy to tamper with. All I had to do was dig into his subconsciousness while he was sleeping and draw forth the buried feelings of hatred towards you that he had long ago banished from his mind." Hengen could invade someone's mind with ease, strengthening his ability to impersonate him or her by learning his or her personality. "So the boy told you he hated you, and caused dissent within your heart. It was just what we wanted. And to finalize it, I took control of him. While your dog-like friend asked the Hyuuga about you, I invisibly hung over him, drawing all his dark thoughts to the surface. I made him focus on them and it was all it took for you to fall apart.

"So, you see, we are your masters. You have been our slave since the moment you were born. We have traced every move you make, hunted you down and made you ours. There is nothing in your life that has been your own action, and everything that you have done is something we can use against you. Your luck has run out; you will never have a free life again. You have been living a nightmare all along."

Katana was numb. It was the only way to describe it. Her skin felt too tight as if it were not her own. She suddenly feared that she would be lifted off her feet and forced to act in a way that she did not wish, some unknown puppet master controlling her every movement. "But… How could you know any of what happened? Some one those things were…"

"We have always been there. We never went alone. The whole time you thought that you were fighting one foe; there would be another lurking just far enough away to remain undetected. You bought our bluff so easily that it astonishes me. So how does it feel, being a marionette? Are you willing to return to the Village and with the knowledge that we have consumed your life, living every moment in constant fear that we will be the ones causing your actions? Or will you return to us? That's the easier choice." Hengen extended his hand, waiting for her to take it with a smirk. "The decision is yours. Make the wise choice."

Katana stared at him, breath strained with the revelation. The seal had been released, but she felt even more restrained than when it had halted her. She could do nothing. _What's to come? What will tomorrow bring? I can crawl away, but nothing will make this disappear. They will always be there no matter what… No matter what…_

Her swords were in her hands in seconds and she had tackled Hengen to the ground harshly, sword point to his heart. "You won't control me. You won't! I won't let you!"

"It's too late, Katana. You know that everything I've said is true. Accept your fate. There is no other option."

"NO!" Katana buried her sword into Hengen's chest as if his death would sever the strings controlling her. But a wry smile lifted his cheeks as blood gushed from his body.

"I'm sorry, Katana, but we're all puppets. You just happen to be the one most important in our clan. Do what you will, but I have to say that I'm not sorry. Tormenting you was fun while it lasted. And don't think that you will achieve anything by my death; I told you that I had never planned to return anyway. You were destined to kill me. Your fate is sealed, Katana Suterusu. It always has been and it always will be. And there is nothing in this world that will change that." Hengen gave one last chuckle and closed his eyes, drawing his last breath.

Katana wrenched her sword out of his body, taking several staggering steps back. "Oh my god. Oh my god." She stumbled back against a tree trunk, breath gasping in her chest. There was no escape, nothing to hold onto. She was just a toy, tugged along even when she knew what would happen. Katana looked down at her mask where it had fallen on the ground. She stooped and picked it up, staring into the empty eyeholes weakly. "Where do I go? What do I do?" Katana stood staring at her mask, afraid to move. Every step she took wasn't her own; every breath she took wasn't of her own doing. Something was clutching her in a grip too tight to break. She feared that she would be led along a path that would end in her demise, yet remaining idle would wear away at her until she fell into an abyss of dark despair. She would be suffocated either way. And there was nothing she could do about it.

* * *

Author Note: I know that I'm a day late, but I had a TON of homework to do (I'm actually supposed to be finishing it now, but there's always homeroom for that). So I had this epiphany a while back as I was looking over my story for ideas, and lo and behold, the ideas in this chapter is what I came up with. Go back through the story and take a look: it's the truth what Hengen said. Sorry if all of this was a slap in the face because it sure was to me when I realized it. Poor 'Tana... XD Anyway, next chapter is going to be shorter than others I've written because I have a plan and not much to fill it with, but I think the short little snipit will be good... I hope. And it's reeeeeally late, so sorry if the ending sucked. REVIEW THIS CHAPTER BECAUSE I WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!!!!! Please and thank you in advance :) I own nothing, just the usual. Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	44. Chapter 43: Never Too Late

Chapter 43: Never Too Late

"I'm quitting the Anbu."

"What?! That's impossible! You have missions lined up for the next month! You're the one I have specifically chosen to be on the teams! You can't quit! I forbid it!"

Katana stared blankly at Tsunade with half closed eyes as if she were only semi present. A part of her consciousness seemed to have separated from her body and was left behind somewhere else, somewhere it could escape the agony its former body had been enduring.

"Then my next mission will be my last. If you send my on another mission, I assure you that I will not return."

"What are you saying? Do you mean that you will let yourself get killed?"

"Yes."

Tsunade glared harshly at Katana's fazed expression, her eyes dull and foggy as she stared weakly at the Hokage. She seemed to be swaying slightly as if the ground was unstable beneath her feet. Or maybe it was her feet that were unstable on the ground. Tsunade had seen many blank expressions on the faces of Anbu, but never anything like Katana. Her face was blanched and everything about her seemed limp and feeble, drained of all energy in a way that was beyond exhaustion. She was trembling gently, looking as if she were about to collapse.

"What's gotten into you? What happened on this mission? You came back after your platoon, so I initially thought that you had died."

Katana cast her gaze to the ground, crestfallen and broken. "It doesn't matter what happened. The only thing that matters is that I'm done with the Anbu. I'm done with everything."

"How much is everything?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow as the silence that followed.

"Just let me be a normal jounin the way I was. That's all I ask."

"That's something I can't do."

Katana slowly walked up to Tsunade's desk, raising the hand that held her mask. "It's something I _have_ to do." She turned and began to walk towards the door.

"Don't you dare take another step, Katana. You don't have permission to leave."

She looked back over her shoulder, eyebrows having the slightest upward tilt of sorrow. "At this moment in time, I don't really care."

Tsunade watched her leave and she slammed her fist against her desk, teeth gritted and eyes narrowed. _Something is wrong with her. I can't let her be alone._ Tsunade swiveled in her seat and swept out the door, charging down the hallway. "SHIZUNE!" The Hokage nearly collided with her timid assistant, grabbing her roughly by the arm. "Send for Neji Hyuuga right now. Make him go to that new apartment Katana's been in and make him get an answer out of her. Something's not right and I fear the worst for her. Why are you standing here? MOVE!"

Shizune scrambled away, clutching Tonton to her chest as she sprinted to the room where the messenger birds nested, hastily sending one off towards the Hyuuga complex as fast as its wings could carry it.

* * *

_Where is she? Why can't I find her?_ Neji scanned the area intently with this Byakugan, searching the cramped apartments for Katana's familiar chakra flare. But she was nowhere to be found.

The tone of Tsunade's voice had worried him greatly when she had told him of his mission. She had been vague and very loud, mostly yelling out an address that he needed to get to as fast as possible. The area of Konohagakure was filled with tiny living spaces and the apartment numbers were squished together and obscure, making finding the specific apartment by its number impossible. But using his kekkei genkai was proving of little use as well.

It was unlike Neji to look into the dwellings of other people without reason, but he found the situation justifiable even if he was slightly uneasy. There were not many occupied apartments and that was what bothered him. Tsunade had only had the speculation that Katana would be at her apartment and Neji began to fear that she had been wrong. The people he could see were obviously not shinobi and no matter how intently he searched, Katana was not present in any of the areas.

_Should I wait for her to return? Will she be long? But there is the possibility that she is using her kekkei genkai to remain unseen. But why would she do that…?_ _What's going on, Katana? Why is Tsunade-sama so worried? _

Neji gritted his teeth and released a soft sigh, scanning the apartments one final time. But there was nothing, only the same people going about their daily routine with no fear or cares in their lives. He turned to leave and sprang over the rooftops of several buildings to return to Tsunade and tell her that her speculations were incorrect.

There was a vicious cawing and Neji darted to the side, staring up at a large black raven flying overhead in the direction that he was coming from. It seemed to look back at him and flutter in the air stationary for a moment before soaring off towards the apartments. Neji paused on a rooftop and watched the raven silently, following its ebony body as it swooped and rose through the air. Something caught the edge of his eyesight and Neji looked back towards the apartments, scanning the area for the disturbance.

And there was a difference.

A smudge seemed to be becoming more and more distinct within one of the apartments like a distant image falling into focus. Neji narrowed his eyes and tried to make sense of the shape that was taking form, moving closer slowly to not disrupt his vision. He stared intently, waiting tensely as the cloud-like cover dissipated and the figure became fully visible. Neji's eyes widened as the person became recognizable.

He bolted over the rooftops rapidly towards the newly occupied apartment, moving faster than he had before. Neji used a Teleportation Jutsu, but was blocked from entering the room directly. A barrier of a sort prevented admittance and the door was tightly locked. Neji placed his palm onto the wood of the door, focusing his chakra and sending a powerful blast through the entryway. But the barrier was fading fast and the extent of his energy was not needed, but Neji stepped inside and froze.

Katana was laying flat on her back on the ground; eyes closed and skin blanched chalk white. She was lying in a pool of blood, a kunai resting on the floor several feet away. She was hardly breathing and her left wrist was slashed open and still gushing blood. Neji fell to her side, clasping her wrist tightly in his hand to staunch the blood, snaking another arm under her back and lifting her up slightly.

"Wake up, Katana," Neji said with slight desperation in his voice, the situation making his emotions leak through. "You can't be dead. Not yet. Wake up. Katana!" He rested her head on his lap and pressed his fingers to her neck, feeling the gentlest throb of her pulse coming infrequently and feebly. Her eyelids fluttered and she cracked open her eyes to the narrowest of slits.

"N-Nej-ji," she whispered weakly. "Wh-wh-why…?"

"How could you, Katana?" Neji hissed through gritted teeth. "How could you try to kill yourself? Why would you? I knew that you were in pain, I knew that you were unstable, but I never expected this."

"Let me go," she murmured. "I don't belong in this world, but who would have guessed it? I'm already most of the way gone anyway."

"No, Katana. I won't let you go." Neji lifted her wrist slightly, keeping it elevated to attempt to lessen the flow of blood. "You just can't give everything up."

"Please, Neji," she whispered softly, almost inaudibly. She gave her wrist the slightest jerk. "Let it go. I have a reason to do this. Let it end."

Neji stared down at her barely-opened eyes, feeling as if an iron hand had closed around his chest. The air seemed thick and his eyes unconsciously widened as her breathing grew shallower. Her head lolled to one side and her eyes fell shut, a quiet sound of pain passed from her lips. Neji lifted her wrist higher above her body, slipping his other arm under her again, wrapping it around her shoulders and supporting her head. She was as limp as a rag doll, the blood oozing between his fingers as fresh as ever.

"Don't do this, Katana," he said through gritted teeth. "Everything will turn out fine in the end. It will be alright."

"I-I s-st-ill w-want to…" her words were barely understandable, forming on the wisps of weak breath still lingering within her. "…e-en-d m-my l-l-li-f-fe."

"Katana, listen to me. Look at me!" Neji lifted her head closer to his and her eyelids made a half-hearted attempt to flutter open. But he could tell he had her attention. "No one will ever see us this way. No one will see this side of us reflected. No one else knew that there was something wrong. I'm leaving many things behind because of you. I've made sacrifices; I've disobeyed and risked my life. At times I feel that I have left alone everything that I own. You have done the same, so please, Katana, don't give up. I want you to feel that—"

"I'm g-go-ne, N-Ne-j-ji. It's t-too l-l-late," she hissed.

"No. It's not too late, Katana. It's never too late."

She was silent; hardly breathing and barely clinging to life. She took a hitched breath, shakily forming words as she exhaled harshly as if her lungs were unable to contain the oxygen. "Wh-what is th-there f-for m-me? What d-d-do I h-have lef-ft?"

"You have me." Neji lifted her slightly more and lowered his head, pressing their foreheads together, the cold metal of his headband making her react slightly. "Things have changed for both of us; we've each faced and fought our own demons, both mental and embodied. If you were to die, everything would be altered. The world we knew before won't come back. Time that we've lost we couldn't get it back. And the life we had won't be ours again. So you have to stay alive, Katana. For both of us."

Neji pressed his lips to Katana's, parting them slightly and breathing between them, supplying her body with air that she was unable to take in. He could feel her drawing in his breath like a drowned man coming to the surface. Katana's wrist twitched slightly as she tried to move her hand, slight spasms wracking various other parts of her body as well. She remained as dead weight in his arms, but her feeble responses were filled with purpose. The two of them slowly came apart, separating languidly as Katana made an effort to open her eyes slightly.

"L-li-f-ft m-my oth-other h-ha-nd," she breathed quietly, her right arms shifting weakly with efforts to rise. Neji leaned her against him so she was lying against his chest and lifted her other hand to meet its twin. She sluggishly wove a pattern of hand seals and a feeble lavender light flickered into being.

"Use my chakra," Neji said firmly, taking her hand under his and resting it against her wrist. The familiar sensation coursed down his arm as his energy was siphoned through her, the light growing brighter and the ragged edges of the wound beginning to weave shut behind his fingertips.

The light soon faded and Katana sighed and leaned heavily against his chest, slumping slightly. Neji wrapped his arms around her and lifted her into his grasp, carrying her to her bedroom. She was shivering and he settled her beneath the sheets of her bed, watching her curl up slightly.

"Don't leave me, Neji," she whispered, her voice already slightly stronger.

"Do not fear. I will not leave."

"I'm so cold."

Neji lay down on top of the bed sheets next to her, feeling her inch towards the heat of his body, her back to him. The blankets were a barrier between them, separating them just enough for comfort and to keep things appropriate, but Katana could still feel the warmth emanating from Neji as if it were an anchor keeping her to the world.

"You should go to the hospital. You lost too much blood."

"Let me stay here. I should heal and…I don't want everyone to know about this. I'm sorry, Neji. I'm so sorry."

He stared at her motionless body, unable to see her face, but he could imagine tears trickling down her cheeks. He extended his hand and stroked her hair gently, soothing her to sleep. "You're alive, Katana. There is nothing to apologize for."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Neji was still with her when she awoke.

"How long have I been asleep for?"

"Quite awhile, but you need the rest. How are you feeling?"

"Tired and…drained. It feels like my chakra has been exhausted." They were silent for a time and Katana could still feel Neji stroking her hair. "Thank you. If you hadn't come, I would have…"

"Don't speak of it," Neji murmured, propping himself up on his elbow. "Are you in the mood to talk." He saw her nod. "I just want to know why you did it. What made you reach the breaking point?"

"My clan," she started, inhaling deeply. Katana slowly explained what Hengen had told her, reiterating his words as best she could. "They've played us like puppets and I just wanted it to stop. I thought that, maybe if I cut the strings or did something to twist the plot, I would no longer be controlled. Ending it completely was the only thing that immediately came to my mind. I didn't want to take the time to think it over any longer."

"You should have told someone. You shouldn't have tried to deal with this on your own. This is a serious matter, Katana."

"I know. But I had realized something. Long ago, you said that you would try to fix me. But, after meeting with Hengen, I discovered that it would never be able to happen. The only person that can fix me is myself. And, frankly, I don't think that I can do it. You can help me, Neji, guiding me through my suffering and giving me something to cling too. But only I can mend this entirely, and in the end, I will never be able to do it."

"Then what will become of you? Where will you go from here?"

Katana rolled over and faced Neji, staring deeply into his white eyes with a longing that had become very familiar. "I don't know, Neji. I honestly don't know. But I will do what I can because after before, I see that it's not too late."

Neji took her left hand, running his thumb over the subtle scar marking her wrist. "It's never too late."

* * *

Author Note: Sorry everyone. Procrastination came back and bit me in the ass last weekend... and this weekend but I needed to get this out. Sooooo, yeah. I've had a rough time. I actually like this chapter even if it is a shorty and darkish one. Sorry about the OOC if it was there, but it's almost 1 am and I'm wiped. Insomnia really sucks. So now things are coming to a close...somewhat. There's still a bit to come, but we'll see how things go. I'm thinking that my chapters may be a little shorter from now on, but who knows. Just a warning. Anyway, important notice: **ANONYMOUS REVIEWS ARE ALLOWED. **If you've been reading this story anonymously, please go and review any chapter you want. I keep forgetting to add that, so now everyone knows. ALL CRITICISM IS WELCOME, but flames are nor preferred. So, I will do what I can in the way of updates, so you'll hear from me whenever school decides to cut me a break (e.i. never!) but I'll squeeze something in here every now and then. Tell me you thoughts! Thx in advance ;) I own nothing, just the usual. Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	45. Chapter 44: Leave Out All the Rest

Chapter 44: Leave Out All the Rest

Katana cracked open her eyes and blinked several times, focusing her sleep-blurred sight. She could still hear Neji's gentle breathing beside her and she rolled over to face him. He was watching her carefully, blinking infrequently to keep his gaze on her.

"Have you been here all night?"

"Yes." He propped himself up on his elbow again. "Are you feeling better?"

"I always feel better when you're around." Katana held his gaze with a subtle smirk. "You don't have to stay if you have things to do."

"I simply wanted to make sure you would be okay."

"I'm fine now."

"Are you sure?"

Katana smirk became solemn and she closed her eyes. "I'm as fine as I can be. I don't think that I will every be fully okay, but I'm the best I can be right now."

"Then I won't leave."

Katana opened her eyes again and sat up. She leaned towards him, locking their gazes. "I told you, Neji. There's nothing more you can do. I'm the only one who can fight this battle now and I can only take it one step at a time."

"I don't feel that it is right for me to leave you now. You still seem pained."

"I'm always pained." Katana hung her head and sighed, lying back down. "I just wish that all of this would disappear or I could go back in time, at least."

"What's past is past. Nothing can change that." Neji caught something out of the corner of his eye and looked up to the window across the room. A small bird was perched on the windowsill, peering into the room with its head cocked. It tapped on the pane with its beak and fluttered against the glass, wanting to be let inside. Neji quickly rose and opened the window, allowing the bird to swoop inside, twittering loudly.

"Is it for you or me?" Katana asked softly, watching the bird's erratic flight pattern.

"It's for me," Neji replied, extending his hand for the bird to perch on. "Tsunade-sama is most likely wondering what had happened."

"She gave you a mission to come here?"

"If she had not sent me, you would have had no one to stop you. You can thank her the next time you meet for knowing that something was amiss." Neji glanced at the bird before returning his gaze to her.

"I told you that you could leave. If you are needed else where, don't let me stop you. I'm fine. I really am."

"I'm sure you know that I don't believe you."

Katana swung her legs over the side of the bed and rose to her feet shakily, struck with dizziness because of the swift movement. Quickly recovering, she walked to him and took his hand. She stared at him with an underlying sadness in her eyes, but something made the pain soften. "Would you have ever thought that we would come this far? I wanted you dead when I first met you. And now I…" She hung her head and fell into silence for a moment. "I never would have believed something like this could happen to me."

"You're shaking." Neji shook his other hand gently, encouraging the bird to take to their air. He clasped her trembling hand within his. "I should not leave you."

Katana held his hand tighter as the bird began to chirp loudly again. "Go see what Tsunade-sama wants. Then you can come back if you need to." She loosened her hold on him and turned her head to the side. "At least do that."

Neji sighed inwardly and knew that arguing was pointless. "Fine. Just promise me you will be here when I get back."

"Of course." Katana let a smirk lift her face. She twisted her hand and interlocked their littlest fingers. "I promise."

"Hn."

* * *

_She walked down the streets, looking at the stores and shops absentmindedly. They were unusually quite for the time of the day. Now that she thought of it, the streets were oddly vacant and only a fleeting person crossed her path a distance away every so often. They seemed to be running from something or anxious to get back within the safety of their houses. Whatever the threat was, she was oblivious to it and she continued to walk down the street. It was then she heard the voices. _

_The shouts were loud and coarse, orders issued in an angry tone to disobedient subordinates. She followed the winding paths to the Village gates, discovering the large group from where the noise emanated. She paused in mid-step, caught by a sudden apprehension about approaching the crowd. They were all people she knew from the Village and they were bickering harshly._

_"Tell me again what happened."_

_"I've told you five times already!" It was Kiba speaking. "We were on the mission and she just vanished! I saw her, looked away, looked back, and she was gone. Poof! Just like that."_

_"It is not possible." It was the first voice, the one seeming to lead the group. It was Shirei, the Anbu commander in the boar-shaped mask. She found it odd that his voice was rising and falling with an inflection unusual to an Anbu member. "No one can simply disappear."_

_"She did." It was Shino, oddly speaking for the occasion. "How do I know? It was just as Kiba said. It was almost as if she didn't exist at all."_

_Shirei sighed and shook his head. "It is certainly all very odd."_

_"Why does it even matter?" Shikamaru spoke up with a yawn, rubbing his shoulder. "She was just a shinobi. Things like this happen. Why is it such a big deal?"_

_Shirei turned to him, seeming to ponder Shikamaru's statement. "Actually… You are correct. She does not matter." Shirei turned his back and began to walk away. "Meeting adjourned. You may all leave." The group began to quickly disperse. _

_"Wait. Are you truly that inconsiderate?" Neji looked at each of the departing crowd in turn. "Katana is missing and you're not going to do anything about it?"_

_Katana blinked in surprise. "What are you talking about? I'm right here."_

_"Kiba said that she disappeared," Shirei said coldly, locking Neji with the blank stare of his mask. "If that is the case, even if she is still somewhere in the world, she is missing from here and there is nothing we can do." _

_"I'm not missing. What's going on? Shirei! Neji! I'm right here!" Katana waved her arm, but no one turned to her. They carried on as if she had said nothing. _

_"Are saying that you would leave a comrade to die?" Neji glared at Shirei, but the Anbu commander remained stolid. _

_"I do it all the time. Do not think that Katana is special. Besides, she was nothing significant to begin with. I do not believe she will be remembered for anything." He turned and disappeared in a shadow blur. The rest of the group was swift to depart as well, leaving only Neji and Katana before the gates._

_"Neji, what was that about? I don't understand." Katana walked up to his side, but he was still staring out to where all the others had vanished. "Neji?" His breathing was shallow and he was frozen in place. He seemed almost scared. "Neji, look at me." He did not respond. "Neji. Neji!" Katana moved to grab his arm, but her hand passed through his body. She gave a gasp of surprise and recoiled in fear. "What the hell?!" _

_"How could they do this? How could they be so negligent?" His hands were clasped into fists. He suddenly turned towards her and ran in her direction. Katana braced herself for the impact between them, but it never came. He passed effortlessly through her body as if she was a ghost. As if she had disappeared. As if she was not there. _

_Katana turned and watched him depart, left alone and terrified. The world around her wavered and began to contort in on itself, twisting and warping into a tangle of color. She closed her eyes tightly and clutched her head, struggling to make everything fade. She threw her eyes open and there was only darkness._

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Katana lay flat on her back, staring at the ceiling blankly. Her dream was fresh in her mind, as clear as pure water and she could remember every detail. She sat up slowly and gazed outside through the small window, seeing the moon glowing faint silver; it was only a waxing crescent. She had waited all day for Neji to return but he had never come back. She could not deny her disappointment, but she knew better than most shinobi how quickly plans could change. But she wished deeply that he could have come back.

Something in her dream had thoroughly perturbed her. She was frightened, in a way as if she had received yet another horrid revelation. She had lived her whole life as a shinobi, following conduct, succeeding on as many missions as she could, and fighting against all odds to deny death its right to her life. There were many famous shinobi, known for battles they had valiantly fought, jutsus they had developed, crimes they had committed, and cities they had founded. Yet there were also countless other shinobi, nameless and forgotten that had lost their lives and were only remembered with their name engraved on a stone.

"To which group will I go?" she whispered to herself. "What will I leave behind when I'm done here? Is there anything that I will be remembered by?" Katana closed her eyes and sighed. "As if I'll ever know." She lay back down with her eyes shut, still awake but still recovering. She was waiting. She would always be waiting.

* * *

It had been several days and Neji had only seen her twice since. Tsunade had been quick to assign Neji multiple missions despite his protests once he had said that Katana was better. She had been given missions as well, but they were nothing compared to what she had previously done. But she did seem better.

The dark circles had faded from under her eyes and the color had returned to her face. Her hands no longer trembled and the slightly supercilious smirk had returned to her face. There was still an underlying sadness in her eyes, but it was often carefully concealed when she was assigned a platoon. And her eyes had regained their piercing gaze and it seemed even sharper than it previously had been. Neji had seen her walking with her head high, a gesture he had not seen since she had fought the first Rinji Seibutsu. She had nodded with her usual smirk and kept on walking, her demeanor assertive.

Neji had felt at ease at the sight of her progress and he was relieved that she was no longer losing herself. He was thinking absently, mind given a chance to rest after being on a demanding mission for the entirety of the day. He was lying on his bed shirtless with his hands behind his head, looking up at his dark ceiling. Letting his thoughts wander to wherever they wished, he soon fell into a meditative state, aware of everything and of nothing at the same time. Wisps of thoughts and emotions glided against his consciousness before quickly disappearing and he half-recognized the chakra flare that was steadily getting closer. Neji's blank mind suddenly sharpened when he realized how close the energy was and the sudden tapping on his window pulled him back to reality.

Neji's eyes flashed open and he looked towards the sound, ready for any action that would be necessary. But he paused at the sight of the figure perched precariously on his windowsill. Katana was using her chakra to cling to the outside wall, her slightly closed hand still raised from when she had knocked. Neji quickly walked to the window and opened it slowly to allow Katana to keep her balance. She leaned forward slightly, not moving from the windowsill. She looked down at him and inhaled.

"I'm sorry. Is this a bad time?"

"No," Neji said softly, stepping back from the window. "Come in. Unless you—"

She slipped inside quickly and kept her back towards the Hyuuga, allowing him to close the window. He turned to her and blinked in surprise at her attire. She was dressed in her Anbu uniform, her dragon mask hanging from her waist pouch. She glanced at him over her shoulder, but hastily looked the other way again.

"Why are you here?" Neji inquired as Katana made no action to begin a conversation. "Is something wrong?" He crossed his arms over her bare chest.

"I needed to talk to you about something." Her voice was quiet and solemn, a tone that Neji had come to know foreboded no good. "I… well… It's… complicated…"

"Are you going to look at me?" Neji interrupted with a smirk, humor tinting his voice. "Unless the wall needs to know the situation better than myself."

"I- Well…" She looked over her shoulder again and Neji noticed her cheeks were bright red even in the dim light. Her eyes were locked on his skin that was usually covered. And tears were welled in their brown depths.

"Are you alright?" Neji crossed the room towards her and reached to touch her shoulder. She suddenly turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck, catching him off guard. He froze, suddenly overcome with the awkwardness of the situation. Katana seemed to realize it as well and she released him swiftly.

"I'm sorry," she said, stumbling over the words. "I just…" She sighed heavily and began to loosen her bracers, pulling them from her forearms. "What I need to tell you is serious. Very serious." She walked passed the Hyuuga and set her bracers down near the window. "But it's difficult for me to say it."

"What happened?" Neji watched her walk back up to him, her steps slow.

Katana sighed again and pulled her hair loose from its ponytail. "I've been given a S-rank mission recently. Tsunade-sama said I would be useful for the task. It's highly classified, but I needed to tell you."

"Is the mission through the Anbu?"

"Yeah, that's why I'm in uniform."

"What is the mission objective?"

Katana turned away and bit her lip, her breath hitching as if she were in pain. "Scouts believe that they have found the headquarters of one of our enemies. They believe it might be either a stronghold of the Akatsuki or Orochimaru. Either way, my orders are to infiltrate it and cause as much damage as I possibly can. This way, all plans that might be in action can be hindered."

"When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow morning."

Neji scanned her downcast face, noticing that her hands were balled into fists. "It sounds risky. There are other orders, aren't there?"

"Yeah… That's what I wanted to talk to you about." Katana looked back up at him, eyes glittering with her welled tears. "Because of the danger I could be in and the extent of destruction I must cause, I've been told… not to come back."

Neji stared down at her, furrowing his brow as he understood what she meant. "You're saying that it's—"

"A suicide mission."

They stood in silence for several minutes and Katana began to shake as a tear trickled from her eye. She hung her head and wiped her eyes against the palms of her fingerless gloves, suddenly struck with the gravity of the predicament.

"But this is wrong," Neji said suddenly. "Why would Tsunade-sama do that? She knows that you are fine now. How could she do this?!"

"Neji," Katana hissed, pressing a finger to his lips. His voice had been growing in volume and Katana feared that someone in the complex would hear him. "I know. I'm still confused as well. But I'm the only one who has a chance of getting inside. With my kekkei genkai, I can keep myself hidden until the last possible moment. I'm sure you understand as well as I do that Tsunade-sama has a point."

Neji pulled her hand away from his mouth. "But you're willing to accept that you will die? You said yourself that it was not too late for you. You can't let yourself be killed!"

"_Neji_!" Katana wrested her hand from his grasp and replaced it over his mouth, silencing him. The tears were more prominent as they formed rivulets down her cheeks. "Please don't make this any harder for me than it already is. I don't want to go. Not in the least do I want to leave this place." Her voice dropped low. "I truly don't want to leave you."

He more gently moved her hand aside. "Then don't leave. Tell Tsunade-sama that you will not accept the mission."

Katana's expression turned regretful. "You know as well as I do that shinobi are not allowed to decline S-rank missions." Neji turned away from her and walked to the other side of the room. "Neji, I'm sorry. But if I could, I would change things. Please believe me. I—"

Neji seemed to appear in front of her again and his lips were against hers, stealing away Katana's words as his arms snaked around her back. Her tears ran down her cheeks faster as her arms encircled his neck, pulling him tightly against her. Neji pulled away slightly and rested his forehead against hers.

"I can't let you do this," Neji whispered. "I don't know what has gotten into me. I've never felt like this before. I don't even know what I feel."

A rueful smile lifted the corners of Katana mouth. "You've hid your emotions from the world your entire life. You've hid everything. And seeing it come to light… I just feel as if… As if I was wanted for once in my life." She pulled her head back slightly to look him in the eye. "I can act like I'm strong on the surface. We both can. But I'm defiantly not strong all the way through. I've never been perfect. Yet, I think, you're not perfect either. You can act like it, but, in a way, you're a much less severe version of me."

"I believe that I can agree with that," Neji murmured.

"But you have the ability to overcome difficulties. You have persevered through every hardship fate has thrown at you. I couldn't do anything. I just sat there pretending that someone else could come and save me from myself." Katana stood on the tips of her toes and rested her chin on his shoulder. "I can't be who you are."

"But who will I be if you go on this mission? We will never see each other again."

"Don't be afraid," she said quietly. "I was given orders to not return, but I've never really followed orders exactly, have I?" Neji blinked in surprise. She leaned back and slipped her hands under her hair, pulling at the clasp of her dragon-eye choker. She removed it from her neck and held it towards him. "I want you to have this. That way, if anything happens to me you'll have something of mine."

"No. I won't take it. I can't."

"Then just hold onto it for me until I get back. I'm going to do everything I can to come back alive, but just in case—"

"Don't say anything of that sort," Neji snapped. He tightened his embrace around her.

Katana took one of his hands from her back and rested her choker into it. She closed his fingers around the red and black gem. "I came to you because I needed to tell you. You can't let anyone know about this mission. I'll tell them all about it when I get back."

"So you will return?"

Katana was quiet and Neji's glare became cold.

"I will do everything in my power to come back," she said in a half-assured tone. "This is what I'll do. I'll send a dragon to you when I get close to the area. It will know what has happened to me. That way, you will know as well."

Neji looked into her eyes and sighed gently. "I still don't know what I'm feeling. When I'm with you I…"

Katana pressed her forehead against his curse mark. "In any event, I just want to say one thing to you. When my time comes, whenever it is, forget all the wrong that I've done. Just…help me leave behind some reason to be missed." She gently brushed his lips with her own. "And please don't resent me. I know I've done many terrible things, but try to find it in your heart to forgive me. And when you're feeling empty, keep me in your memory. I'll always be in your heart if I can't be with you like this. And just try to remember me for what I've done right if you can possibly find anything that fits the description. Please, Neji…Leave out all the rest. Leave out all the rest. I… I love you."

She pressed her lips against his, wrapping her arms around his neck. She could feel him comply, his arms wrapping around her waist tightly. Neji cocked his head and deepened their kiss as he felt Katana run her hands through his hair. He could feel her part her lips slightly and he granted her request, allowing his tongue to slip into her mouth. Katana took several steps forward and Neji stepped back in turn. He felt the back of this legs run into something and they were falling back…back…back…

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

The sunlight streamed through Neji's open window and his eyelids fluttered open. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes and sat up slowly, shielding his sensitive eyes from the blinding light. He looked around his room and pushed his hair away from his face, suddenly noticing that there was something clutched in his other hand. He opened his palm and saw Katana's choker, the dragon's eyes staring at him with the slit onyx pupil. The memories from the previous night crashed against him like an icy tidal wave and he felt his throat constrict.

There was a chance that he would never see her again.

And Katana was already gone.

* * *

Author Note: PLEASE READ OR AT LEAST READ THE END OF THE STATEMENT I'M MAKING :) I'm baaaaaaack. Sorry it's been so long. School's still eating me alive so I shirked my homework today to get this out. As is usual now, I'll update whenever I can. I'm happy/depressed to say that the end is visible...or at least I think it is. I've had this chapter planned foreeeeever and I'm sooooo happy to finally write it. Give me your thoughts because I really wanted to know how I did. STATEMENT STARTS HERE: As for what happened after they "fell back"... that's for YOU to decide and speculate *snicker*. STATEMENT ENDS HERE. Anyway, Happy Halloween in advance. Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	46. Chapter 45: Get Out Alive

Chapter 45: Get Out Alive

Her heart was racing.

The stronghold was looming ahead of her, an enormous monster waiting to trap her in its depths. The entrance was lined with serpents, twisted together in an intricate design. It was one of Orochimaru's bases, of that she was sure, and just as a snake can paralyze its prey with a single glare, Katana was nearly immobile with fright for what to come. All it would take would be one wrong move and the serpent would swallow her whole. Katana was terrified that she might never return from the bowels of the stronghold, walking willingly to the death she had shirked for so long.

She struggled to breathe, rubbing her hands together. She had faced an innumerable amount of fatal situations, defying each one its right to her life. But it was the fact that it was her order to die that made her so fearful. She knew an incredibly simple way to complete her mission, but there would be no way for her to possibly return. It was the task of fully completing the mission and returning to the Village that was the difficult part.

Katana bit both of her thumbs, wiping blood on each of her palms. Forming the seals and slamming both hands onto the ground, she summoned two dragons. They were identical in appearance, long, thin, and serpentine; their coloring the only alteration. One was black with white eyes and the other was white with black eyes. They gazed up at their summoner, moving in tandem as if their actions were rehearsed.

"It has been a while since you have summoned us, Katana-sama," they spoke together, blinking at the exact same time. "What are your orders?"

"Yin," Katana said to the black dragon, attempting to sound steady and unperturbed, "I want you to stay here within sight of that stronghold." Katana pointed to the large structure behind her. "Yang," she addressed the white dragon, "I need you to go to Konoha. Neji Hyuuga will be waiting for you so seek him out. Then, activate your ability and tell him everything that you see, Yin. I told him I would let him know what had happened to me. Do you understand?"

"What is going to happen to you?" the dragons inquired, heads cocking in the same direction.

Katana smirked ruefully and rose her to her feet. "Hopefully, nothing. But if anything does occur, be it misfortunate or benign, let Neji know. And if all goes well, I'll come out of that building with guns blazing." Her smirk stretched into a grin and she let a laugh bubble up, her nervousness making her somewhat giddy. "Now go, Yang. Get to Neji by nightfall. That's when I'm going in."

The white dragon nodded and crouched, breaking its synced movements with its ebony twin. It sprung into the air, twisting and twirling as it began to rise. Katana watched it disappear above the treetops and she looked down at the black dragon sitting on its haunches next to her. All there was left to do was wait. And that was the hardest part.

* * *

Night had fallen slowly, the sky finally painted in deep indigos and violets that had drowned out all of the bright hues. Neji sat on his bed, staring at Katana's choker as it rested in his palm. The red seemed more vibrant than he remembered, the onyx slit pupil darker against his pale skin. He rubbed his thumb over the jewel, a movement he often did when he held it as if wiping away any impurities that might have settled on the surface. It had to be immaculate for when her returned it to Katana.

There was a scratching on his window and Neji whirled around, Byakugan half-activated. The veins faded swiftly at the sight of the white dragon settled on his windowsill, gazing in on him with inky eyes. He opened the window, chest tightening as he remembered opening it the previous night for Katana. The dragon slid inside, scurrying over and climbing atop his bed, sitting on his pillows. It scrutinized him meticulously, eyes narrowing as it looked him up and down.

"Katana-sama has chosen well," it said softly, its mouth pulling up at the corners and upper lip flaring. It gave a snort and a cloud of smoke puffed from its nostrils. The dragon appeared highly amused for a reason Neji was not entirely sure of. It quickly got over the humorous fact and its expression grew serious. "I have a task to accomplish. I assume you know what I speak of."

Neji thought through what Katana had told him. The few moments she had spoken with him when she had first arrived seemed insignificant. What had happened later fogged his memory of the other events that had transpired. But Neji was quickly able to recall what the dragon was hinting about.

"You're here to tell me what Katana's status is, correct?" he questioned. "You will tell me what ever happens to her."

"Yes." The dragon closed its eyes and exhaled. Neji could feel the air around him shift, a power altering the pressure as the dragon activated a jutsu. It opened its eyes and they looked identical to the jewel still clutched in Neji's palm, shimmering red with a slivered pupil of the darkest midnight. "She is waiting," it said quietly, eyes shifting as if scanning an unseen landscape. "And now she goes. She says, 'I will return'. Let us hope she keeps her word."

* * *

Katana looked back at the black dragon receding as she ran towards the stronghold, its red eyes glimmering like two fiery coals ready to light the forest ablaze. She turned back towards the base and adjusted her mask, exhaling heavily as she wove the seals to activate her kekkei genkai. Vanishing into the darkness, she ran on, approaching the main gates rapidly. The base was built out of a mountain and her thoughts began racing. Stone was not nearly as easy to destroy as wood or plaster, the substance refusing to crumble or fall when prodded and attacked.

There were guards outside the gates, two normal-looking men holding spears. But Katana knew to expect nothing normal from Orochimaru, the stories she had been told of his deeds making her skin crawl at the very thought. She ran up to the entrance unseen, quickly scanning for any other openings, but the walls were solid and unbroken. Katana drew two of her swords and extended them out to her sides, slicing the throats of the guards simultaneously. They slumped to the ground, their blood pooling over the ground quickly. They were hidden from the view of any guards that might have been posted on the roof of the base, and Katana examined the gates carefully. There was a barrier ninjustu activated and she quickly searched the clothes of one of the men she had felled. There was a seal tag on the back of his neck and she quickly removed it, lifting it to the door. There was a hissing noise and one gate swung open.

Discarding the tag, Katana slipped inside warily. The gate clashed closed loudly and there was deathly silence and pitch darkness. The hair on the back of her neck stood up and a chill ran up her spine, her breath hitching as a soft click echoed somewhere in the blackness. Katana dove forward and sprinted into the darkness, hearing the rain of some sort of weapon clatter against the floor in rapid succession in the place she had previously been standing. Lights suddenly flashed on from all angles and Katana looked around wildly, turning in all directions.

She was surrounded by crossbows, their frames straining with the tension of the drawn arrows. The attackers were nothing more than shadowy silhouettes, staring at her with invisible eyes. They all had their fingers on the triggers of their crossbows, prepared to eliminate the intruder. Katana could find nowhere to look, hardly able to believe that she had so blatantly failed her mission. Her breath locked in her throat and she stared at the shadows, knowing that they were returning her gaze with virulent glares.

_They were glaring at her. They could see her._

Katana interlocked her fingers and snapped her eyes shut. "Kai: Release!" she cried, feeling the air around her shudder. The lights melted away and the shadows and crossbows slithered into the darkness that clung to the walls of the corridor. She whirled around, examining the true hallway. There were torches on the walls that cast flickering patters against the stone walls, and branches twisted off the main path at random intervals. Katana slowed her rapid breathing and shook her head gently, relieved greatly that the barrier had cast the illusion. As far as she knew, she was still unnoticed but her gut told her that all of her actions had to be more carefully planned. She was more correct than she initially thought.

* * *

"She is inside," Yang said softly with its tail flicking gently. "And something is bothering me." The dragon continued to stare into space, never turning its gaze on the Hyuuga. Its words alarmed him, but he kept his face stoic. "There is movement above. There are guards on the roof of the base and they seem to have been alerted. Other than that, I have no thought of what is occurring."

Neji nodded, steepling his hands and pressing them against his mouth. She had entered the base. And he only had a small white dragon to tell him if she would ever emerge.

* * *

She ran faster than she ever had before, even when she had been pursued by her clan or other enemies craving her blood. She clutched paper bombs in both hands, darting to walls on both sides of her and slapping them on the stone. She was breathing heavily, more heavily than she normally would. The paper bombs would have been easily spotted, yet Katana had infused each one with her chakra. As long as she had her kekkei genkai activated, the bombs would be invisible as well. But it sapped her energy faster than normal.

Something was fluttering at the back of her consciousness, a foreboding that she was having difficulty shaking. Each time she turned a corner, she waited for a hand to extend and clasp over her throat; she waited for a guard to find her and eradicate her existence. But the shadows would recede and she was alone to run down the corridor and paste her bombs on the walls. The technique was unrefined and there were many other methods that would have completed the task more efficiently, but speed and stealth were her main priorities.

Katana's steps stuttered and she stopped her wild sprint, struggling to breathe. She only had several bombs left, but she was uncannily confident that she had covered most of the level. She had planned to detonate one of the bottom floors to cause the upper levels to come crashing down, but she was beginning to doubt her strategy. She shook her hands, attempting to awaken the nerves that had been numbed by the amount of chakra she had been pouring into them. Not only had she been inserting chakra into the tags, she had been stringing them together with chakra to make an enormous chain reaction when one was detonated.

She held her two remaining bombs tightly, nearly ripping the painted paper. She placed one on the wall next to her and staggered on to position the last. Her footsteps echoed loudly in her ears, her heartbeat racing within her skull. And in time with her heartbeat were the stampeding footfalls of guards, emanating from all directions like a deathmarch. Katana shivered, feeling her flushed face blanche behind her mask. She leaned against the wall, closing her eyes as her breath rattled in her chest.

_"Do everything you can to this base. I want you to destroy all that you can."_

_ "Do you have any suggestions, Tsunade-sama? Those orders are quite broad."_

_ "Use your imagination, Katana."_

_ "But to follow your orders, I would need to risk my life."_

_ "Exactly. This mission…requires one of your ability. But…if you want to know the truth… It's a suicide mission."_

_ "What?! You can't be serious!"_

_ "I'm sorry, Katana. But it needs to be done."_

_ "…Fine… I'll… I'll do it."_

Katana's eyes flew open, the words echoing in her head as the footsteps grew closer. They were closing in from all sides, suffocating her and placing a countdown on her life. Katana gritted her teeth, seeing the shadows around her flutter as figures came into sight.

"If I stay, I'll burn. But I can't go or I'll fail the mission." The guards were at her sides, following her voice. A sardonic grin flitted across her face and she gave a short laugh. "Yeah, I'll do it. And I'll get out alive." Katana made a complex string of hand seals, but ended in the single hand seal needed for her paper bomb. It ignited with a violent explosion in her grasp, setting off all of the others she had scattered around the level of the base. Within moments, the main level of the stronghold had crumbled and the entire structure was crashing to the ground.

* * *

The dragon gasped in horror, startling Neji with the sudden outburst. It began shaking, staring with wide eyes at the landscape visible to only it. "Th-the s-st-strongh-hold… It b-burst into f-flames. It's collapsing. And Katana-sama…she's still within its walls."

Neji could feel the color drain from his face. His grip was tight on the jewel clutched in his fist as if it would keep Katana's spirit anchored to the world. _This can't be. This can't be happening. Katana…_

"Wait," Yang looked more intently into space, making Neji look up at it hopefully, riveted to what the dragon would say. "She… She escaped."

Neji was frozen for a moment until the dragon's tense body eased, and he released the breath he was unaware he was holding. His clutch on the jewel grew slack.

* * *

Katana stumbled to where her black dragon still sat, falling to all fours in front of it as her lungs heaved for air. Her clothing was scorched and charred, but she was unharmed save for the random burns across her skin. She shook her head and looked the dragon in the eye, tears of happiness beginning to trickle down her cheeks.

"I got out alive, Neji." A smile crossed her face and she kissed the dragon's nose. "I'm coming home." She dismissed the dragon and rolled onto her back, staring up at the sky as black smoke clouded the stars. The stronghold had crumbled and her mission was accomplished. She breathed a sigh of relief and lay still, resting for a moment before she would have to begin her return journey.

* * *

Neji breathed his own sigh of relief as the dragon vanished. She would return and he had not lost her. The Hyuuga looked down at the necklace in his palm, a smirk tugging at his features. "I see I _was _only keeping this safe. I apologize for doubting you, Katana."

Now, it was his turn to wait.

* * *

Katana swallowed a soldier pill and waited for the effects to take hold. She flexed her fingers, feeling her chakra level increase and warm her body. The energy lessened the ache in her muscles and she rose to her feet effortlessly. She found it difficult to believe that the mission was over. She had been so worried that it would claim her life, but it now amounted to nothing. She almost laughed at how foolish she had been; she had defied death so many occasions prior, once more would have been no difficult task.

She began running through the trees, moving swiftly but much slower than she had been on arriving at the base. It lay in a decimated pile of rubble behind her, all of the shinobi within the structure buried below the stone. Katana had barely escaped, only her timing and jutsu saving her. She had activated the barrier ninjustu taught to her by the dragons, protecting her from the flaming explosion of the paper bombs. But had she not fled when she did, when the roof had just begun to crack, she would have shared the same fate as the guards.

Katana traveled onward, inhaling the scents of the forest, taking in the sights of the woodland at sunrise. She listened intently for the chirping of the birds, broadening her thoughts to take in all of her surroundings. But her stomach twisted and she slowed to a stop, looking around warily. Everything was silent. No animals scurried, no birds were not singing, and not even the wind stirred the lush leaves. Katana sniffed the air and she gasped softly, fear stabbing its icy claws into her heart. An unearthly scent saturated the air, something so familiar yet entirely unknown. It was then the first blow came.

A solid force smashed into her jaw, knocking her from her position on the branch she had stood on. Katana grabbed for another branch, hardly conscious as her head spun. She hung from the branch, bright pinpoints of light sparkling in her eyes. Another blow crashed into her shoulder, jarring her grip from the branch. Katana continued to fall, but she had reached the point where the canopy ended. Free falling, another force drove into her chest, causing her to hit the ground with enough force to crack the earth. Blood spurted from her mouth and her vision wavered, darkness curling at the sides of her eyes. The scent was intoxicating, suffocating all other odors that had been previously present. She finally knew what it was.

"Ashi?" she breathed, eyelids fluttering weakly as the darkness grew. She knew something within her was broken. But a soft material pressed over her mouth and nose and her next breath caused the light to return rapidly. Everything clicked into place and Katana stared up at a wavering figure that gradually came into focus. Her eyes widened as the body became defined. "N-no way. It can't be!"

"Hello, sister," he snarled in cruel humor. "Surprised to see me?" He bent over and gripped the front of her Anbu vest, effortlessly lifting her to her feet. "How's my little renegade faring, hmmm? Still as rebellious as ever, I see."

"Let me go!" Katana clutched his large hand, unsuccessfully attempting to pry off his grip from her vest. "Nii-san! Ashi, let go!"

He violently threw her to the ground, knocking the air from her lungs, and he knelt over her with his hand stroking her throat. Katana winced and shuddered, glaring up into his piercing brown eyes. "That's not my name, 'Tana. Quite a few things have changed since you departed, I'm sure you can see." He raised one of his eyebrows, the markings spanning his face wriggling. He grabbed the front of her vest again, but opted to throw her against a tree. "My name is Tenma, sister. Remember it well!"

Katana struggled to her hands and knees, glaring at him with vehement rage. "And you _are_ a demon! Look at you! Pattered with those seals to restrain your monster! Hakuai died so those seals could be perfected!"

"Hakuai? You mean that failure of a sibling our mother gave her life for? Ha! What a joke!" Tenma strode forth, a mocking grin stretching the marking sealed to his flesh further. "And what of the others who have died for _you_? All of the ones who I had sent to bring you home... But you killed every one of them. In that sense, I'm proud of your heartlessness to your own kin."

Katana paled. "It was you. You're the dispatcher. You're the one sending everyone to fuck with me."

"Exactly. Glad you finally caught on." Tenma straightened up and took several steps back, his malicious grin widening and contorting the patterns. "Father gave me the honor, but I have been failing for the most part. You've been eliminating all of the best, but they have succeeded in weakening you as I had hoped. It was a backup plan that worked beautifully. Don't you agree?" He bubbled with mocking laughter, his malice stabbing Katana repeatedly.

"Yeah, it worked." Katana rose to her feet, weaving hand seals rapidly. "And I'm REALLY PISSED OFF!" Katana threw her arms out to the sides, her four swords shooting from their sheathes and levitating with her chakra.

"Oho," Tenma said as the markings on his body began to shimmer. "Will you entertain me, 'Tana? I've been waiting for this battle since the MOMENT YOU LEFT!" The markings writhed and began to spasm, stretching as body changed. His eyes changed from brown to red and the whites of his eyes turned black. Tenma let out a roar and Katana strengthened the flow of her chakra to her blades.

She swung her swords, maneuvering them expertly to attack Tenma from several angles. He had surprising agility and dodged swiftly. He leaped onto trees before diving to the ground and rolling away from the slicing edges of the swords. He was untouchable, her swords only severing the bark from trees and branches from the foliage. Katana wove several more hand seals and the blades burst into flames and she sent them chasing after her brother at a frenzied pace. He bolted and fled in any direction to evade, his body shifting and wavering as the markings continued to tremble over his skin. Katana moved her blades, weaving her hands rapidly, feeling her chakra draining fast from the strenuous experience the previous day. Her pace slowed and her swings were exaggerated, falling far from close to their intended target. And Tenma noticed it.

Katana made a large sweeping motion with her arms, bringing her swords together towards Tenma's head. He lifted his arms and the blades sunk into his flesh, cutting into the muscle easily. But he only grinned. Katana saw his arms waver and begin to stretch, the muscles growing bulbous and powerful. The flames on the swords flickered and were extinguished and Tenma grabbed them, wrenching them from his flesh.

"The rest of our clan must have been weak. For someone of your meager strength to have defeated all of them… You're nothing." Tenma grinned wickedly at Katana's anger. "You've gotten weaker, sister. Or, maybe I've just gotten stronger."

"Your demon is the only strength you have," Katana snarled.

"And the strength will suffice!" Tenma took her swords and slammed them into the ground. "But I grow tired of this. For too long I have waited for you to return to us. I have rested by hopes in others and they have all failed me. I've taken the matter into my own hands. And I will not fail!"

Katana's eyes widened and her brother roared and his arms grew, the markings tensing as they struggled to restrain the demon fueling his power. She took a step back and shuddered, watching Tenma lift one of his hands. She recoiled, but the hand smashed into the ground, sending a shock wave pulsing towards her. The ground shattered beneath her feet and Tenma vanished, Katana falling between the cracks in the earth. She felt the vise-like grip of a giant hand close around her waist and throw her into the air. She stared down as Temna materialized again, staring up at her with his vermillion and ebony eyes. His dark energy circled around him, rippling his shaggy hair and clothes. He bent his body, back arching, hand reared like a cobra prepared to strike. He slammed it into the ground once more, but a violent energy burst from the ground, firing directly up and through Katana. Her eyes flew open, pupils contracting to pinpricks as the energy pulsated through her, rushing through her system with an impetus to fragment her. Her scream was silent and her frame went rigid, frozen with a fiery blaze of pain. Tenma removed his hand from the soil and Katana fell to the ground, the energy leaving her body as limp and lifeless as a rag doll.

Tenma stood over his sister and lifted her into his arms as the limbs returned to their original size. He pressed his cloth drenched in the nectar of the itonami flower over Katana's mouth, allowing her to inhale the healing fragrance. Mending her enough to survive yet remain unconscious, Tenma fled into the forest.

Finally, the Suterusu Clan had won.

* * *

Author Note: Er... well... yeah. Sudden, I know, but the tables always turn at the most inopportune times. I've been having writer's block like nobody's business, so I apologize if this sucked. I've been *trying* to use obvious subtlety for certain_"_situations_" _ but I really don't think it worked so well. I know the ending was sudden the mission probably not as suspenseful as what would have been suspected, buuuut... writer's block. I'm sorry, people. So give me your thoughts PLEASE! I need to know how things are going. And as a warning, things may be getting a little darker from this point on. So, I own nothing, just what has been previously claimed. Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	47. Chapter 46: Me Against the World

Chapter 46: Me Against the World

Warbled voices grew weaker and stronger in her ears but were never fully understood. Blurred visions of bright oranges and dark grays along with other shapes remained smudged in her sight between spans of blackness. Her head spun whenever light would return her to consciousness and she had the sensation of floating although her body felt weighted with lead. Whispers reached her, occasionally a jovial shout of triumph, and the only thing she was certain of was that something was moving her. The warped colors changed between her spans of darkness as she was brought closer and closer to her unknown destination. The only one constant element was the support on her back and at the bend of her knees, the grip that neither tightened nor loosened. It was the only thing anchoring her spirit to her body; her soul would have floated away otherwise into a perpetual oblivion.

And if she knew what was to come, she would have chosen oblivion without a second guess.

* * *

Katana's eyelids fluttered, a gentle groan slipping from her lips. She shifted her hands in an attempt to feel her surroundings as her eyes became accustom to the light after being submerged in darkness. She felt soft material beneath her and she became aware that she was laying on something quite comfortable. Katana pried her eyes open and looked around slowly, cautious as she tried to remember what had caused her to black out.

It looked like a prison cell. There was a single barred window high up on the wall above the bed she was resting on, the sheets black and creased. The floor and walls were made of solid gray stone, forbidding any entrance and exit that was not authorized. The door was metal with several levers and latches and sections that could open, but the heavy lock was the most unnerving. It could be seen from the inside, but could only be operated on the outside.

There were several other item scattered about that made the room seem slightly less like a cage. There was a desk made of dark wood, that seemed to have been amateurishly constructed, as well as something akin to a chest of drawers. Katana precariously sat up and scanned the room further, a pit beginning to form in her stomach. The only source of light was a torch held in a fixture mounted to the wall, the flickering fire casting wavering shadows and giving off the scent of the kerosene the torch was doused with to keep it burning. Katana's stomach twisted.

_This place…_ she thought, her breathing beginning to quicken. _I know this place. I've been here before._ Katana walked to the desk and opened the second draw only to have it slip the track and become jammed. Just as she had thought it would. She sunk to the floor in front of her desk, eyes wide and beginning to brim with tears. _I lost. They got me back. This place…is my room._

Katana looked back to the door, her eyes falling to the space just in front of it. It had been the very location where she had been played by he genjutsu. The genjutsu that would change her life forever and had put her through so much agony. Katana crawled to the makeshift chest of drawers and opened one compartment on the bottom row. It was filled with black clothes, most of they suitable for combat, and she dug through them with a bitter taste in her mouth. Under the clothes she had worn in her youth, Katana found what she was searching for.

It was a small book filled with lined paper, more than half of the pages were filled with uneven and scrawled handwriting. It was bound in black cloth with her clan symbol embroidered on the front with a broken lock that had once kept its secrets private. It was not what you would call a diary, it was more of a log of events that had occurred at different days, but it had been one of the few secrets Katana had possessed that were unknown to her clan. And even it had been divulged of its mysteries.

There was a series of clicks and clangs from the other side of the door and Katana quickly hid the book back within her old clothes. She jumped on her bed and faced the door, crouching on the sheets like a prey animal waiting for a predator to enter its den. And the predator was hungering for a meal it had been denied for nearly five years.

The torch on the wall was suddenly extinguished and Katana instinctively reached for her swords but only groped air. Her second idea was to arm herself with a kunai, but those, too, were absent. She felt the color drain from her face as the door opened and she found herself completely devoid of weapons. Five people slunk inside, merely shadows in the now-dark room, and they positioned themselves around the bed. Tenma's hulking shape was easy to distinguish.

"Awake, I see," he said smoothly. Katana could imagine the grin stretching his marked face.

"And ready to fight," Katana hissed as her hands clenched into fists.

"We don't want that, 'Tana," Tenma said coldly, causing Katana to start with the iciness in his voice. "We want this quick and simple. So just come quietly and we won't have to knock you out."

"You think I'll go down that easy? You're sorely mistaken." Katana was prepared to attack any who neared her, but there was a flutter of movement and she felt the bed sag as another person's weight was added. A hand pressed firmly to her sides of her neck, but she gave a cry and pulled away.

"We warned you," Tenma said and another movement was blurrily made. Katana saw a black shadow materialize in front of her just before a heavy force rammed into the back of her head and the darkness became engulfing.

* * *

She was half awake as she felt herself being moved. They were less gentle this time around; she was being supported under her arm while her feet were allowed to drag across the stone floor. The torches flickered in and out of view until another door was opened and her captors roughly threw her inside. Katana fully came to her senses as she crashed to the cold rock floor, but she lay staring up at the others for one moment longer.

One loomed over her momentarily before crouching down and taking hold of her hands. They were pulled behind her back and she attempted to resist, but her limbs were bound behind her back before she could put up a full effort. She leaned back against the furthest wall from the door, getting into a sitting position with difficulty. Four others were watching her and one had placed a torch between them to cast shuddering shadows on the underside of their faces. Katana looked around and analyzed the familiar area.

"An interrogation room, huh?" she said quietly, eyes narrowing. "I hope to what ever higher power there is that you don't see it fit to use any of _those_ devices." She inclined her head to one of the walls. It was lined with a ridiculous amount of torture equipment, each more macabre than the next. They were used for particularly obscene criminals or information interests of the clan and Katana knew that they could very well classify her as both.

"No, we just want your fealty," Tenma said softly, his face even more horrific in the warped shadows.

"Fealty? You must be joking! There's no way in hell that I'd swear fealty to you. After all the things I went through to stay away from here, how do you expect me to say I'll protect the clan after running from it for so long?"

"Well, I asked nicely once," Tenma said, ruffling his shaggy hair as a small grin twisted his face. "Now, more…drastic measures seem to be needed."

"Your tortures won't break me. I've dealt with enough of them to know." Katana kept her voice and expression resilient, knowing the slightest slip would prove costly.

"Oh, but as I recall, you had attempted suicide not too long ago. And for what reason?" Tenma leaned forward over the torch, grinning wickedly. "Because you couldn't take any more. You gave up." He leaned back and turned to the door. "It won't take long for you to shatter once again, 'Tana. And this time, you'll be in our grasp."

"I know what you need me for," Katana blurted suddenly. Tenma paused and turned back around with an eyebrow raised. "You can't use the same tortures you would on others. You need me to be unharmed and well if you intend to use me for _that_ reason. You know that, brother."

A cold smirk curled over Tenma's mouth just enough to show his slightly pointed teeth. "Oh, you have no need to fear, 'Tana. We have our ways." He turned and walked out of the room, leaving the other three to look at her.

"And what are you three planning to do?" she growled coldly, challenging them to dare approach her. Their expressions were blank, the typical face of a Suterusu Clan member who had been stripped of all dignity and purpose and was forced to be nothing more than a slave to their superior's dark wishes. They were, without doubt, nameless, an act that demoralized and dehumanized a person to be nothing more than a mindless drone.

The two outer figures shuddered and twisted, suddenly stretching. They seemed to wrap around the walls of the room, casting everything into darkness and extinguishing the torch. The remaining figure began weaving hand seals swiftly, the pattern long and complex, as he stepped forward slowly. Katana shifted away and tugged at her bonds, but they were made of a tougher material than she had expected. The two other figures materialized at her sides and took hold of her arms to turn her to face the wall.

"What are you doing?! Let me go!" Katana struggled against them, but they had iron grips that made all her efforts futile. She looked over her shoulder and felt her bonds sever, but she still had no use of her hands. She heard the sound of cloth ripping and her breath caught in her throat. The back of her shirt was sliced open and the cool air on her bare made her shudder with a cross between fear and ice in her blood. She stared back at the figure over her shoulder as his hands began to glow brightly. Katana wrenched at the other two but they were solid in their hold as if they were statues formed out of the stone floor. Her hair was pushed to the side and she felt an icy burn on her upper back, a cry rising from her involuntarily. The pain continued for only a moment longer before one of the people holding her pressed his hand to the pressure points in her neck and caused her to slump forward.

* * *

Katana woke back in her room. But she was not alone. She heard a gentle rustled and shuffle of movement and sat up abruptly with an aggressive expression, but she resigned herself at the sight of the woman she had frightened.

"Kinkou-obasan," she said softly in surprise.

"My goodness, Katana! You didn't need to startle me out of my skin!" Kinkou sighed but let a smirk touch her features. "But it is good to see you after all of these years."

"Yeah, as long as you're not going to attack me too." Katana smirked as well, sitting more comfortably on her bed. Kinkou was her father's sister and seemed to have inherited any and all of the compassion her long-dead grandparents had possessed. She could have her moments of heartlessness, but it was usually only with a feasible reason. "So what do I owe the honor?"

"Your father assigned me as your caretaker. He thought it would be nice for you to have a familiar face around you as their plans progress. Even he can have a heart at certain times."

Katana looked away, her hands tightening into fists. "I can't believe, after all of this running and fighting, I still lost so easily. It was as if everything I did meant nothing."

"Don't fret over it," Kinkou said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "No one can defeat Tenma once he invokes the demon's power. And your actions set us back quite a bit, 'Tana. You murdered several of our best, including your sister and my husband."

Katana's heart skipped a beat as she locked eyes with Kinkou. Katana had hardly remembered that she had killed Gaidoku, and she began to fear how Kinkou was now going to react. But she was caught off guard when Kinkou smiled.

"You don't need to fear me," she said smoothly with a light-hearted laugh, an alien sound in the walls of the clan's hideout. "I actually wanted to thank you for killing him."

"Why? Didn't you feel anything for him?"

"Of course I did. But all emotions fade and they depart twice as fast if you live here. And I was relieved I didn't have to bear him any more children."

Katana flinched and felt herself shiver. Kinkou laughed and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"You know you will meet the same fate," Kinkou said quietly, her tone possessing a morbid twist. "Before long, you'll be just like I was. But for you, I feel it will be even worse. You're the only female in this generation to have our kekkei genkai. They will want—"

"You don't need to talk about things I already know," Katana snapped. She pulled her knees into her chest and leaned against the wall behind her bed. "I'm just afraid that I'll turn out like my mother."

"They wouldn't let you die, 'Tana," Kinkou said with sudden reassurance. "You're far too important for them to be careless like that."

"So my mother wasn't important?"

Kinkou sighed and ran her fingers through her short hair. Most of the Suterusu Clan kept their hair short to decrease any hindrance there might have been. Katana had grown hers out in rebellion. "Your mother was not fulfilling your father's wishes. You know how we operate: only the useful are given high statuses and if you're worthless, you're either killed or stripped of your name. And so you will be like every other female Suterusu Clanswoman before you: your sole purpose to continue on our kekkei genkai."

"I won't do it," Katana said in sharp defiance. "They can't make me do what they want. They won't change me. I've gone on this way for too long to succumb. I'll kill myself before I fall to their game."

"They'll change your name, 'Tana," Kinkou murmured as she locked Katana's eyes. "Then you won't have a choice. We are bound to our name and your father will make you his puppet. They've already sealed away your chakra, so you see that they're willing to do anything. They've fought too long for the chance to have you fulfill your purpose, and they will ensure do will not slip their grasp again."

"My purpose is not what they think!" Katana growled, slamming her fist into the wall. "I'm not going to be just another victim of their tyranny. They've destroyed by dreams since I was a child, and they're not going to ruin them this way. I'm not going to be the same as all the others before me."

Kinkou looked at the harsh glare Katana was inflicting upon her and the older woman smirked. "Your mother said the same thing a long time ago." Katana's glare faltered for a moment, but her mouth kept its hard line. "Fight if you want, but it will be far less painful if you just obey them."

"And what? Lose my dignity and pride to serve a duty that I utterly despise? I'll fight forever until I absolutely can't go on."

Kinkou sighed and walked to the door. "The choice is yours, but just be careful. And I was told to give you this." Kinkou tossed Katana a bundle of black fabric. "Wear it if you want. Someone will be here for you shortly." Kinkou walked out and Katana buried her fist into the wall again.

She slowed her savage breathing and rubbed her temples, trying to dispel the headache that was beginning to clutch her skull. She looked over her shoulder and caught sight of a black mark on her back that signified the presence of the chakra seal Kinkou had spoken of. _So that's what those three were doing_, she mentally grumbled. Katana unrolled the bundle Kinkou had given her, turning and twisting it until she realized what it was.

It was a black cloak that would sweep the ground if she wore it. The sleeves would fall passed her hands and were incredibly wide. On the back was her clan symbol, the yin yang sign with both large parts black and small circles white with a small white line dividing the black sections like a normal yin yang. Katana stared down at the cloak, anger bubbling swiftly. The longer the length of a clansmen's cloak, the higher his status. Katana had one of the longest lengths there could be. They would make her something akin to a princess in their ranks. But that was far from her plan.

Katana gripped the collar and tore the material down the middle, hurling the halves across the room. "You won't control me," she hissed. She was left to sit on her bed and wait for what ever came next.

* * *

They stood around her like vultures ready to swoop down and converge on the carcass of a dead animal. But Katana was prepared to give any struggle against any who dared to try and pull her apart. Tenma was standing next to her father, the clan leader seated on a large throne-like chair. Kinkou was on her father's other side, but she seemed far less hostile than the others. There were several others as well, just clansmen that had proven their strength and were allowed to wear cloaks falling to their knees. Her father, Tenma, and Kinkou all had cloaks that swept the floor as Katana's would have, and she was the only one in the room not adorned in black material. She wore a gray shift dress, the only other clothing provided for her if she refused the cloak.

"You're far more trouble than what I thought you would be," Shuhan said coldly, glaring icily at Katana.

"You're very welcome, father," Katana snapped with just as little warmth in her voice, invoking a growl from Tenma.

"Respect your elders, sister," Tenma hissed, taking an aggressive step forward.

Katana did not flinch. "I respect those who respect me, not those who wish to turn me into a whore for their own achievement."

Something smashed into her back and sent her to her knees, someone holding her by her arms. "Shall I punish her, Shuhan-sama?" a voice said from behind her. Katana glared at her father, daring him to give the order.

But Shuhan simple sighed with a piercing glare that bored into Katana's head. "Don't bother. Let her go." She was reluctantly released. "You're a nightmare, Katana. You always have been. You're strong for a female in our ranks and are useful for everything we don't need your for. You're a disaster to our cause. I've always said it since you were a child."

"Yeah. To me, rules are just guidelines that are begging to be broken," Katana said with a smirk.

Shuhan closed his eyes and shook his head. "You would have been the hero of the clan had you consented to restore the kekkei genkai to future generations." Katana scoffed. "But, sadly, you're a lost cause."

"Listen, you can sit there and spit our your insults, but nothing you say is going to change me. I'm sick of waiting, so come on and take your shot." Katana spread her arms mockingly and she caught the slightest hint of a smirk tug at Kinkou's features. "You can sit there and judge me, saying what you want to, but I'll never let you in."

There was a loud thud and Tenma looked about ready to explode and his markings were writhing almost painfully. "You're out of line, Katana!"

"Take her away," Shuhan ordered suddenly before Tenma could act any further. "I can't deal with this now."

Katana felt hands take hold of her and she locked her father with a defiant smirk for as long as she could keep her gaze on him. She was led roughly back to her room and was locked inside, a prisoner once more but she did not really mind. Kinkou entered some time later with a grave expression on her face.

"What are you thinking?! They would have killed you if your father had been in any other mood!"

"Like I care," Katana said, pulling her shift dress down; he fell just above her knees, but she felt exposed since she usually always wore pants. It also showed off several scars she had earned over the years. "As long as I got my point across. I'll make it on my own, no matter what my father says I am. I'll prove them all wrong and I'll never fall in line to what he wants. I'll never be the same as everyone else. He'll never bring me down."

"You're quite certain you can handle this. What makes you so sure?"

Katana smirked. "When I'm around them, a rebellious spark ignites something inside of me that I hardly ever feel. I usually don't act so defiant, but something in their eyes just send all obedience to oblivion. Right now, it's me against the world, and there's no way I'm going down even if it costs my life."

"You really think you can defy them?"

"I will for as long as I need to. And nothing is going to change that."

* * *

_Where is she?_he wondered, turning his gaze to the sky. _She should have returned by now._ Neji ran into the forest, tailing his team with his Byakugan activated. He could hear Lee and Gai calling to him to quicken his unusually slow pace as Tenten paused to wait for him to catch up. Neji muttered an apology for lagging and quickly ran faster, trying to push Katana from his mind. _The dragon said she would be returning. That was two days ago. It took her only half of a day to reach her destination. Could she have encountered something that hindered her return?_

"Hurry up, Neji!" Tenten called, waving her arm to him. "Is something wrong?"

He shook his head and increased his pace, focusing on the mission that was at hand. _Katana, please be well. I hope nothing has gone wrong.

* * *

_

Author Note: Hi, everyone. I've been sick all weak and between catch up homework, blowing my nose, and coughing my lungs out, I got a few ideas for the chapter. I needed to stick that Neji scene in at the end as a last moment thing, so sorry if it's out of place. I love the song that goes with this chapter and it's practically my theme and I actually walk down the hallways of my school humming it (I'm weird, I know, and I don't care what anyone else thinks X3). This is a note to everyone: I've been swamped with homework since September, and have some issues going on at home, plus this recent illness. If I don't respond to your review, don't take offense. I usually just don't have time or something else is rushing me away to do something else. I usually only use my laptop for homework and whenever I write, and I don't really have the free time to do much else. So don't think I'm neglectful or mean, I'm just a busy teenager with a life ruled by school. I love all my readers dearly, so snaps to all of you out there *snaps fingers until realizes that its usually only used for places where people read poetry* Well, kudos work too :D Happy early Thanksgiving everyone! Make sure to eat a ton of food. By the way, calories don't count on Turkey Day ;) Have fun. Give me your thoughts if you like and reviews always make a sick writer feel better. Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	48. Chapter 47: Because of Me

Chapter 47: Because of Me

Steel clashed against steel, spraying sparks and emitting a high-pitched shriek. The opponents leaped apart and slid across the ground adjacent from each other, one breathing heavily while the other bore a haughty smirk while being only slightly winded. They ran at each other again, blades flashing in the torchlight before clashing together once more. The spectators watched grimly, a few muttering curses or other angry remarks under their breaths.

Katana felt as if she had already won. She came at her opponent again, battering him back against one of the stone walls of the room. She forced her blade down towards his throat, seeing his brow glisten with sweat as he struggled to hold her back. Her smirk grew as he seemed to panic, his arms trembling with the force she pressed down on him. He suddenly snarled and a jarring force rushed through her, causing Katana to stumble backwards. Her opponent seemed to have the upper hand and believed so, but Katana was quick to take control of the situation. With deft movements, she blocked every swing her opponent directed at her and stood solid, preventing him from gaining any advantages.

Her limbs were fatigued as she swung her sword, her blows not holding all of the power they normally would have. Her chakra was sealed away and she was deprived of the energy it normally would have supplied. But her swordsmanship was still immaculate despite her slight disadvantage.

Katana pinned her opponent's sword against the wall behind him, locking the cross guards together. She kicked his shin and followed up with an uppercut to his jaw and finished by ramming her elbow into his temple. His grip on his sword slipped and he staggered to the side, sliding across the wall as blood ran down over his chin. Katana took hold of both swords and pulled the man away from the wall with her swords against either side of his neck. He fell to the ground and stared up at her as his breath rasped in his throat. A cold smile crossed Katana's features as she stood over her fallen opponent and she moved her swords to press against the man's chest.

"I knew that this was going to end again," she murmured. "And it's all for none. I was given the name 'Katana' for a reason. No one can rival me in swordplay. You were foolish to think that you had a chance." With a quick movement, she shoved her swords into the man's chest harshly. She watched as blood stained his shirt and pool on the floor until he disintegrated into a pile of ash. Katana wiped the sweat from her brow and lifted one of the swords to eye level, scrutinizing its design meticulously.

"I see you aren't ready to give in," Shuhan murmured quietly. He, Tenma, and several other distinguished members had been watching the battle from another room through a window set into the wall. "Shall we send someone else it?"

"Send as many as you want," Katana growled. "You'll just be sending people to their deaths. And could you provide better swords? These are terribly balanced. Or was that done purposely?"

Shuhan narrowed his eyes and snapped his fingers. Three nameless clansmen walked into the other room, locking Katana with the blank stare of six eyes. They each held a different weapon: one an axe, one a large shield, and the last a scythe. They moved irregularly, an occasional twitch or spasm jerking their bodies.

"Fine. Your loss." Katana pulled her shift dress down, a habit she had developed, and ran at the three newcomers with an icily confident aura. Her blades flashed and crashed into the shield as the other two came at her from each side. Katana sprang into the air away from their attacks and retreated. They turned to face her together and raised their weapons in unison with an uncanny synchronization.

_I have to go for the axe-wielding one first_, she planned quickly. _The scythe has a long range and the shield has optimum defense. If only I had my chakra…_ Katana feigned several movements and dove for her intended target with her swords reared to attack. But once again, her blades landed on the shield. Its owner had moved with lightening speed to defend its comrade, his brown eyes blankly resting on Katana. _Okay, looks like I'll need a plan B.

* * *

_

_Where are you?_ Neji stared down at the red and black eye of Katana's choker, running his thumb over the smooth jewel. _You said you would return nearly a week ago. You should be back by now. Katana…_

"Neji. Neji? Helloooo, earth to Hyuuga." Tenten grabbed Neji's shoulder and shook him slightly, causing him to start. "Hey, are you okay? You've been out of it for the past few days. What's that?" She looked over his shoulder and reached for Katana's choker.

"N-nothing," Neji replied quickly as he slipped the necklace into his bag. He avoided Tenten's gaze as he stood up. "I'm fine, Tenten. Let it be."

"I've known you for over ten years, Neji. I know when something's on your mind." She rested her hand on his shoulder. "Would you rather tell me or have Lee and Gai give you some speech about how this behavior is 'ruining your youth'?"

Neji suppressed a shudder and glanced at Tenten, looking into her warm brown eyes. They were bright and joy-filled despite her concern for him, a lightheartedness that was only present when she was positive there was no danger. But Neji shrugged her hand off of his shoulder. He was not accustomed to such brightness in another person even though he had known her for such a long time. She had always been happy for no reason and, even now, Neji was vexed as to how it was possible.

"Let me deal with the situation, Tenten," he said quietly. "You don't need to be involved as well."

"Why don't you say anything anymore?" The sudden sadness in Tenten's voice caught Neji off guard. "You used to talk to me all the time about anything that was troubling you. But ever since you've met Katana, things have changed between us. What's wrong? Don't you trust me anymore?" Tenten bowed her head. "That thing you were holding before… It was Katana's, wasn't it? I remember seeing her wearing it."

"What does this matter to you?" Neji murmured coldly. "My relationship with Katana isn't of your concern."

The brightness had vanished from Tenten's eyes. "What has she done to you? What—?"

"Neji! Tenten!" Lee called as he ran up to them. "Gai-sensei wants us to head out. You're both ready to go, right?"

"Yes," Neji said firmly as he turned away from Tenten's disheartened expression. "All preparations have been made."

"Then let's not keep Gai-sensei waiting! Yosh!" Lee ran off and Neji followed with a pace that was just quick enough to keep up with the spandex-clad ninja, leaving Tenten to pursue them slowly with slumped shoulders and a heavy heart.

* * *

Shuhan rubbed his eyes with one hand. He heard a loud thud and a crack as the scythe-wielding man was thrown into the window he had been viewing the fight through. The glass was cracked and blood was splattered over the fragmented pane and the man slumped to the ground as he disintegrated. Katana stood adjacent to her father, a fierce glare directed at the clan leader. Her limbs were shaking and she was breathing heavily as sweat glistened on her brow. She threw her sword at the window and the glass shattered. Tenma leaped in front of his father and caught the blade as it crashed through the window, cutting his palm wide open.

"Anything else you want to throw at me before I throw something else at you?" Katana hissed. "Or have you had your fill? I can do this all day!"

"I think not, Katana," Shuhan murmured with a wry smile. "Without your chakra, you have close to the strength of a regular human. I'm surprised you have lasted this long, actually. But you've sustained some injuries, nonetheless."

"You gave me my name for a reason, Otousan," Katana said with cold humor. She disregarded the few cuts and scrapes she had received during her fight even if some were deep enough to cause rivulets of blood to trickle across her skin. "I assure you that I won't put it to waste."

"Take her away, Tenma," Shuhan ordered curtly. "And send for Kinkou to heal her wounds."

Tenma took Katana by her forearm, his large hands possessing a grip like iron, and led her roughly through the dank corridors. She noticed that it was the hand he had cut, but the wound had already sealed over. He shoved her into her room once they arrived, but he paused in her doorway instead of immediately departing.

"What are you waiting for, nii-san?" Katana questioned harshly, glaring at her brother.

"Nothing. I'm just thinking."

"What about? Enlighten me."

"I'm just thinking about how this situation is going to end." An icy smirk twisted his features. "You know you can't win."

"Just keep thinking that, brother. I won't let you control me. I won't do what you want me to."

Tenma suddenly appeared in front of her, standing nearly a foot and a half taller than his sister, and lifted her off of her feet by her waist. With another lightening-fast movement, Katana was thrown heavily onto her bed with Tenma looming over her. He lowered his head and locked her gaze, his hands pinning her down by her shoulders.

"It's going to end _this_ way," he murmured deeply, his smirk growing malicious.

"Get off me!" Katana kicked at him and writhed, grabbing his hands in an attempt to wrest his hold from her. "This is an atrocity, brother! GET OFF!"

Tenma let out a mocking laugh and threw his head back as he stood straight. Katana sat up and backed as far away from him as she could. "Don't believe I'm the antagonist, 'Tana. I love you very much, sister."

"I guess you believe in love like the way I believe in pain," Katana muttered, wary of every movement her brother made. "You're as much an antagonist as any. You're more of a demon than anyone, nii-san."

"Just be happy I'm not one of the men Father has chosen to be the male counterpart to the succession of our clan." Tenma laughed at Katana's disgusted expression. "If I was, _that_ would be an atrocity, sister."

"I completely concur," Katana hissed, glaring at her brother's back as he walked away.

"At least we share the same opinion about one thing," Tenma called over his shoulder. "I feel our bond is growing already."

"Bite me, asshole." She heard his laughter as the door slammed and locked behind him.

* * *

"Look out!"

Tenten threw a kunai knife, deflecting the one that had been aimed for Neji's blind spot. He gave her a nod of gratitude and continued running down the hallway, tightly clutching the scroll they had been assigned to secure. He could see Lee and Gai fighting other enemies out of the corners of his Byakugan, but he did not stop to assist them. Gai had explicitly told them to escape at all costs if anyone attained possession of the scroll. But Neji had never been one to leave his comrades behind.

"Hakke: Kuushou!" He whirled around and aimed the blast of air at the group Lee and Gai had been fending off. Several opponents directed their offense toward the Hyuuga, but he easily dispatched them with his kaiten. He raced forth and landed a solid Jyuuken strike to the guard Tenten had been hindered by, grabbing her wrist and pulling her into a sprint.

Soon followed by Lee and Gai, the team ran through the building in search of an exit while attempting to avoid guards. Gai took charge and used Dynamic Entry on a wall to break a hole in the concrete as an easy escape. They leaped into the trees, not daring to slow their pace until they felt sure that the danger was well behind them.

"Yosh! Mission Accomplished!" Lee crowed, punching the air in victory.

"Well done, team," Gai said with a grin accompanied with a ping and a shine. "Now, to Konoha!"

"Already?" Tenten whined. "Can't we rest tonight and head back tomorrow? It's already dusk and the only one who can see in the dark well is Neji—" She suddenly realized that he still held her wrist and continued to pull her along behind him. "Neji," she murmured so only he could hear.

He removed his hand swiftly, but it was in a way that suggested that he had been fully aware of the situation. The Hyuuga did not look back at her and he quickened his pace slightly, forcing her to do the same so she would not be left behind.

"All right, Tenten," Gai said with resignation. "You have a point. Neji, find us an appropriate place to make camp."

Within the hour, camp had been constructed and a fire was waving brightly in the center of a clearing. Lee and Gai were off searching for more firewood and had left Neji and Tenten alone to supervise the camp. There was an unusual silence between them as they sat on adjacent sides of the fire. Tenten was highly uncomfortable while Neji seemed unperturbed, as was custom, but she was still bothered by his behavior.

"You have the scroll, right?" She waited for him to answer, but he seemed highly interested in the flames. "Neji—"

"Yes, Tenten. I have the scroll." His voice was curt and harsh, like the warning bark of an angered dog.

"You don't have to be so bitter. What's gotten into you? Why are you acting like this?"

"Since when have you insisted on prying into my life, Tenten? You always had possessed an impeccable sense of boundaries, but that sense seems to have faltered."

"You've never been so closed to me before. You were always willing to talk to me. Don't you remember when we were kids? Don't you remember how you would talk to me about anything that was bothering you? Anything that—"

"We are not children anymore, Tenten." Neji rose to his feet and stared down at her with the slightest hint of anger in his eyes. "Times have changed. We have changed. You can't cling to the past. Move on, Tenten. That's what I've done."

She stared at him with wide eyes. "You've moved on? What are you talking about?" She rose to her feet as well. "Are you talking about Katana? You've moved on from me to her? What—?"

"Why are you speculating that I 'moved' from you? We had a bond as teammates, Tenten. We are comrades."

"That's all you think we were? You don't believe we were anything more?"

Neji narrowed his eyes as he saw a tear start to slide down her cheek. "Maybe we were. At one point, our friendship was indeed strong. Very strong. It still can be now, however certain events have put a stress on the bond we had."

Tenten ran forward and threw her arms around the Hyuuga's neck and buried her face into his shoulder. "How can you say that? I don't want to lose you, Neji. Please don't do this." She looked up and met his gaze with sorrow-filled eyes, tears falling more frequently. He had an uneasy feeling of déjà vu as he remembered Katana speaking something similar once. "Don't choose her over me. I know you so much better, Neji. There's no way she could ever feel for you the way I do."

"Who are you to judge?" Neji removed her arms from his neck. "I told you to leave the matter alone."

"She killed her sister! You called her a monster! I thought I understood you, Neji. But it seems you're as much a mystery to me as to everyone else."

"So be it, then," Neji murmured. "You don't need to understand me."

"You're right." Tenten whispered, wiping her eyes and sniffling. "You have Katana for that. As long as you have her to be there for you, I'm nothing. I'm just the nameless tool you can use and throw away once it breaks, right?" Tenten pulled her weapon scroll from the strap on her back and threw it to the ground. "Sorry I'm not good enough for you. But it's just the way I am." Tenten turned and stormed out of the clearing, nearly knocking over Lee as he returned to the clearing with Gai.

"What is wrong with Tenten?" he inquired as he looked at her departing shadow in the dark trees.

"I can't be sure," Neji murmured. "She seems to be… letting her imagination get the best of her." Lee ran off to pursue her and Neji stared back at the fire. He sighed inwardly and cast his gaze to the sky. _Where are you, Katana? Look what this is doing to me and the people I know? Why is this? Why haven't you returned?

* * *

_

Katana could hear the locks of the door click open and she snapped her book shut and quickly stashed it under the top blanket of her bed. She turned and saw Kinkou enter, holding a role of bandages and gauze as well as a bottle of amber colored liquid.

"It's about time. Were you planning on leaving me to bleed to death?" Katana folded her arms over her chest and allowed some of her blood to run down her arm.

"Your father was greatly angered and I needed to calm him down. He is having trouble making a plan to break your spirit. You known I'm always playing moderator between his anger and the lives of others."

"The 'balance' as usual," Katana said with a smirk as she recalled the definition of her aunt's name. "Is that iodine?" Katana pointed to the amber liquid.

"Yeah. For sterilization."

"You know, if you just release this chakra seal, I can heal my own wounds."

"Nice try, 'Tana. But you know I can't do that."

"Sure you can. You are entirely capable of releasing a seal made by a few insignificant, nameless members."

"Yes, but then I have to deal with your father. And the ire he would release is one I would never be able to quell."

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him."

"The subject is closed, 'Tana. Give me your left arm."

Katana sighed and extended her injured limb, a gash and several scrapes marking the skin. "You kept a diary like this, right, obasan?" Katana lifted the small book she had previously hidden.

"Yes, but it has been long gone. It was burned once my position in the clan had been designated. They use the diaries so that they have a record of where you have succeeded and failed. They use it to find a name that will fit your strengths. It seems they have not seen fit to burn yours."

"I had forgotten about half of the 'exercises' they put me through. I'm shocked that I'm not dead. Ouch!" Katana hissed as Kinkou dabbed a cloth over a cut on her arm.

"Iodine can stink, 'Tana. Just try not to move."

"You could just release the seal."

"The answer is no."

"I'll take the blame. I'll just say that I found a way to break it."

"That's impossible to do. And your father wouldn't even spare your life if he believed such a lie."

"Death is better than what I'm stuck in here." Katana flipped a page in her diary but she was hardly able to make out the scrawled handwriting. She had never been a calligraphist. "It seems things are just as wrong as they seem. That's become my philosophy while I'm here."

"You should just save yourself the pain and resign yourself to fate." Kinkou moved to Katana's leg where she had an abrasion on her knee.

"Don't make me laugh." Katana smoothed her tangled hair back and closed the diary. "No one died for you, obasan. They fight until they fall and will drop dead instantly just to get me back. I'm that important. You know how much I hate this place and the people who live here, no offense. And if there is any way to stall them in getting what they want, then I'll do it. So pray for me, obasan. Pray that they'll fall because of me."

"I wish you would see reality. Thinks are far from that simple." Kinkou finished tying on the last bandage and pointed to a folded article of clothing she had also brought with her.

"I brought you a new shift. Your father wants to speak with you, so hurry and change."

"Would it kill you to give me pants?"

"I don't make the rules, 'Tana. I just follow orders."

"Damn. So, how about that seal?"

"Katana—" Kinkou sounded exasperated

"I'm not going to stop."

The older woman sighed. "You can be such a child sometimes."

"I'll do what ever works."

* * *

"Took your time, didn't you?" Shuhan muttered as Katana and Kinkou entered the room.

"My apologies, Shuhan-sama," Kinkou said with a bow of her head. She took her place at his side and faced Katana like the other distinguished members who were in the room.

"I know you will bend again, Katana," Shuhan murmured coldly. "Your will is very easy to shatter if the right forces are applied."

"I'd like to see you try."

"Oh, we'll try. You don't need to worry about that. We'll cut you down from now on every time anyone of us sees you. The order has been given."

"Like that matters. I already know that everyone here wants my head on a stake. Yet you know you can't kill me."

"A vexing situation, yes. Such an oddity, wouldn't you agree?"

There was a mumbled chorus of agreement from around the room.

"You'll never know that you're affecting me," Katana hissed. "I'll force all of it away. I'll keep it underground away from you."

"Go ahead. Or, as you would put it, 'I'd like to see you try'." Shuhan waved his hand and Tenma was at his sister's side with his hand clamped over her forearm once again. "Sessions to break you will begin tomorrow. Prepare yourself if you wish. But I see no point. It will all be for naught for you are destined to bend to our will in the end."

"Who said you could decide destiny?" Katana walked away with Tenma guiding, her heart thudding rapidly. She knew there was no one left to defend her. There was no one left to hurt but her. They would attack her and drive her down and the slightest shadow of doubt nested in her chest. And it was all because of who she was. _It's all because of me._

* * *

Author Note: Hi, guys. Guess what today is!!! (they day this chap was posted) It pertains to the story. If you review and tell me your guess, you get major kudos and I'll reply with a reward ;) So, I've just been staying afloat with homework and staying alive with school… blarg. I'm going to make t-shirts that say "Team Katana"(or 'Tana) and "Team Tenten" lol. Which team are you on? I absolutely love the song that goes with this chapter! You've got to check it out. BTW, "obasan" means "aunt" because I forgot to say it last chapter. Well, tell me your thoughts because reviews are always welcome. I own nuttin, just what has been previously claimed. Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	49. Chapter 48: Broken, Beat & Scarred

Chapter 48: Broken, Beat & Scarred

They came at dawn. The light had just begun to seep into the stone room from the small window high on the wall when the door was roughly thrown open. Katana was instantly awake and prepared to fight; she had always been a light sleeper when she had lived with her clan and the trait had quickly returned. Tenma was not among them for once and only lesser clansmen stood in the entrance of the room.

"True to his word as usual," Katana murmured. "My father was never one to make vows or plans that he would not follow. I see he wasn't kidding when he said you were coming for me in the morning."

"Are you ready to be broken?" one clansman inquired, cocking his head in an animalistic fashion.

Katana let a dry laugh ring off of the stone walls around her. "You're funny. I've heard that line so many times that it humors me. Try not to hurt yourself on this attempt, okay? Several others have died trying, you know."

"Let us be on our way," a second man said coldly. His voice was loud and harsh, something uncommon for one of the lesser clan members. Several of the group slipped forward with hands outstretched like souls bereft of their needs. Katana instinctually brought her hands together to begin a pattern of seals, but she stilled her motions and allowed her shadowy kinsmen to take hold of her. She needed to keep it a secret that Kinkou had unsealed her chakra.

Katana was brought to one of the interrogation rooms and thrown roughly inside. The door slammed shut behind her and left the lesser clansmen outside. Katana warily watched two figures detach from the darkness clinging to the sides of the room: one large and bulky while the other was slim and frail. The thin one let out a raspy laugh and began to slink around against the walls to keep his face in shadow, running his hand over the metallic torture devices and mechanisms that hung from hooks around the room. They clinked sinisterly as he moved, his laugh as grating as the metal.

"Well, well, 'Tana," the thin man hissed with mock humor. "I thought you would have your hand on my throat by now and be trying to shove one of these instrument into my chest. You're quite reserved."

"Am I?" Katana raised one of her eyebrows slightly with a gentle smirk. She took a step forward and a massive hand clamped down on her shoulder with enough force to make her knees buckle slightly. She looked back at the hulking figure behind her where he had somehow teleported to from across the room without so much as forming a hand seal. He had a patch over his right eye, but the ire held in the left thoroughly compensated for its twin.

"Don't try anything foolish," the hulking man murmured in the softest tone his deep voice could produce. "I have been given orders to subdue you in any way necessary. I would hate to see you lose a limb."

"What are you two planning to do?" Katana growled, body tense with the sudden sense that she would be powerless in the event she had to protect herself. The hulking man seemed to notice the tension in the shoulder he held and lessened his grip as the thin man stepped forward.

"I'm the main attraction," the thin man said coolly, coming into the light fully. He had sparse grey hair, a long nose, pointy chin, and overall gaunt appearance. "My friend is just here to make sure I get to keep my life. Now, all I need you to do is relax and sit down." He motioned to a chair against the opposite wall in the darkness.

"In hell."

The hulking man's meaty hands were clamped around her forearms in seconds. "Do as you're told or I will do it for you." He moved her forward and paid no attention to her resistance.

"Let me go!" Katana writhed in his grasp and attempted to wrench her limbs away, but she was nothing more than a helpless fly futilely trapped in flypaper. _Father was certainly serious about this. Damn it. I didn't think things would be like this. I never would have thought he would send someone as resilient as this guy to subdue me. _

The man roughly forced her into the chair and large clamps were fastened around her wrists and ankles. She tugged at the restraints and felt a jolt of energy course up her limbs and stab into her heart. Katana let out a gasp at the sudden bolts of pain struck her and the thin man laughed again.

"I suggest that you refrain from struggling. When these bonds feel any sort of strain, they release a concentrated burst of chakra to your body. It's a… precautionary measure that we thought was necessary." The man laughed again. "Shall we begin, then?"

"I assure you that I'll hand you your ass on a platter after this is over," Katana snarled through clenched teeth. "I don't care if this bear is your protector. I'll skin you both with your own teeth."

"Charming, dear. Now you're starting to sound like your old self." The thin man stepped up to her, extending his hand toward her forehead. She leaned away and felt the pain race into her core once more as the restraints felt her move. It gave the man the perfect chance to clasp his hand to her skull and form a hand seal with his free hand.

A cry of pain tore from Katana's throat as she felt an icy probe lodge itself deep into her consciousness. She attempted to wrench herself away, back arching and fists and toes curling. The restraints sent a blaze of agony into her heart and she thrashed against the onslaught, eyes tightly shut and teeth firmly gritted. She gripped the arms of the chair and struggled to breathe as the assault continued the more she tried to make it cease. She felt as if her heart might burst or her skull might explode, but there was no stopping her resisting body as every motion caused her pain.

"Stop moving, Katana." The thin man was having difficulty keeping his hold on her forehead and his chakra control was wavering. She did not even realize that one of her clan that she was not immediately related to have actually called her by her full name. "If you continue struggling, you'll kill yourself before I've even started my task. Stop, Katana!"

But her spasms of agony and pain gasps only grew as the thin man's voice reached her ears.

"Would you like me to knock her unconscious?" the hulking man murmured as he watched his comrade struggle.

"Yes, that would be useful," the thin man responded in a tight voice. "Why didn't you offer sooner?"

"I thought you could handle this." The hulking man grabbed Katana's neck and pressed harshly on the pressure points on either side. Katana took one last sharp inhale before slumping into the chair, eyes falling closed.

"Damn it!" The thin man tightened his hold on Katana, but his brow furrowed deeply in frustration.

"What's wrong?"

"Even when she's unconscious she has incredible barriers around her mind. I can't get through to the memories that I need to pull forth. What is the meaning of this?! There's not a way in hell that she would be able to keep such things hidden when she has no control of her body." The thin man brought his second hand and rested it over his first, a dim pulse of light indicating that he had used more chakra to enhance his jutsu to meet the needs to complete his mission.

Katana groaned gently and her body twitched as the thin man intruded against the defenses in her mind. They lingered from the Anbu, defenses that had been created by a jutsu to prevent any enemy from learning information from a captive's mind. Yet they had weakened since they had been activated and they would crumple if the proper force was added. But the thin man was uncertain as to what those forces would have to be. He prodded and warped, slipped and attacked, but the barriers had been crafted by a formidable shinobi and would not readily fall by such measly measures.

The door suddenly flew open and Shuhan and Tenma entered swiftly, both father and son possessing hostile expressions. "Why is this taking so long?" Shuhan growled coldly. "You told me that you could complete the assignment I gave you. You told me that you could do this!"

"I can, Shuhan-sama!" the thin man yelped in a craven tone. "I-I just n-need time! She's a tough egg to crack, sir."

"You've been here for fifteen minutes. I expected you to have something to report by this time!"

"My apologies, sir!" the thin man could not prevent his voice from wavering in fear. "I-I'm afraid that I don't have the power to manipulate memories like Oboe or to cast such powerful genjutsus like Genkaku. It's a shame that she killed them."

"You _trained_ Genkaku and you're Oboe's brother! How could you not have their power?!" Shuhan had his hands balled into fists and he seemed seconds away from snapping and ordering Tenma to attack. "I gave you orders to pull forth her memories and make them torment her. My orders were for you to break her! Can you complete my orders, or does someone with better qualifications need to take your place?" The fury in Shuhan's eyes was fearsome and he would not tolerate weakness in those he had trusted to carry out an important assignment.

"No, sir! I-I can do what you've asked of me. It will just take longer than I had planned. But that could actually prove to be advantageous." The thin man smirked at Shuhan's questioning expression. "The longer I can delve around and weaken her sub consciousness, the less likely it will be that she will have the will to retaliate against us. If I cause instability in her mind, it may be easier to break her."

"True. You have a point." Shuhan nodded curtly, quickly turning to the door and motioning for Tenma to exit. "Report to me with your findings and her condition when you are done. Any information from her mind that can assist us is to be reported to me." Shuhan allowed the door to slam behind him, letting the noise ring off of the walls.

"You okay there?" the hulking man questioned, a smirk playing at his features. "You looked ready to collapse with the way your knees were shaking."

"Oh, shut up and let me concentrate." The thin man reestablished his control of the chakra that was invading Katana's mind and restarted his attempts to break through. Although unconscious, she still reacted to the probe digging into her memories, the occasional spasm or shudder wracking her frame. But it was these movements that allowed the thin man to identify what was needed to slip past the barriers. The more violent her reaction, the more the thin man knew he was testing the defenses.

"Are you sure you can do this?" the hulking man murmured with slight boredom. He had no interest in watching his comrade sluggishly provide no results.

"Of course I can! Stop interrupting me. I think that I know what to do now. She reacts to this-" the thin man's hands flashed slightly and Katana jerked with a sharp intake of breath "-so if I apply more force-" the light flashed brighter and Katana gave a hitched gasp as she twisted against the bonds of the chair "-I will be able to get through." The thin man's building chakra made his hands begin to glow gently, his features creasing in determination. He shot the wave of energy forward and the pulsating force caused Katana's eyes to fly open, her pupils contracted to be hardly anything more than pinpricks. She slumped into the chair, her stare blank, and the thin man gave a whoop of triumph.

"Now, was that really that difficult?" The hulking man rolled his eyes at his comrade's victorious grin.

"Yes, it was, actually. But no matter. I'm through and all of her memories are mine. Well… almost all of them." The thin man lifted his hands and rested the fingertips of one onto Katana's forehead, grazing them over the surface of her skin and his true jutsu began. He wiped sweat off of his brow with his other sleeve. "Those barriers were about to crumble anyway. They hadn't been reinforced in a while, so it's actually a good thing that we caught her when we did. Now, let me see what I can find."

Katana was motionless, her blank, half-closed-eyed expression downcast. Her breath hitched as the thin man prowled through her mind, pain sharply striking her as he moved from one previously guarded area to another.

"Are you looking for anything in particular?" the hulking man grumbled, looking around the room for something to occupy himself. "You're certainly taking your time. And I really don't want to spend any more time here than I need to."

The thin man rolled his eyes at his comrade and his impatient nature. "I am looking for something specific, as a matter of fact. I'm searching for something in her childhood, something Shuhan recommended. But getting to them is difficult. Her strongest and most prominent memories are of this one person. This white-eyed boy is practically in all of them. Hmm… we should report this to Shuhan-sama when I'm finished. Some of these memories are…interesting. They could be important."

"Would you do me a favor and focus on the jutsu." The hulking man had lifted a Heretic's fork that had been hanging on the wall, running his finger over one of the two-pronged pitchforks. "Instead of running your mouth, why don't you do your job?"

"I don't see you helping," the thin man growled, but his expression brightened as the hulking man began to respond. "I've found it! Finally, this is the one that Shuhan recommended. Now all I have to do is pull it forward to the front of her mind…" the thin man used the hand not resting on Katana's forehead to grasp at an invisible wisp. He slowly pulled his hand away and Katana let out a wavering sigh, her body tensing slightly. The thin man made a single hand seal and Katana went rigid for a moment before her eyes closed and she relaxed into the chair.

"Well, that wasn't as hard as I had thought it would be," the thin man said with a haughty air as he returned his hands to his sides.

"You could have fooled me," the hulking man grumbled as he replaced the torture device to its place on the wall.

"Well, now that everything is put in motion, all we have to do is wait. And once she wakes up, we'll see her status."

"Great, more waiting. Which memory did you pull forward?"

The thin man grinned coldly. "The one where her genin sensei and one of her teammates were killed."

* * *

"Whoa."

Katana's eyes fluttered open and she slowly sat straight, rolling her neck to relieve the stiffness that had settled in. She shook her head and began to move her hand to rub her eyes, but a bolt of chakra ran up her arm before she remembered that she was still restrained to the interrogation chair.

"Good morning." The thin man seemed to peel away from the darkness in the wall and he stepped forward with an icy smirk of humor twisting his gaunt face. "How was your little dream?"

"Spectacular, asshole. Too bad you had no idea that I got over the whole incident not too long ago." Katana's head ached from the methods the thin man had used to fell the barriers and from the force of his probing chakra.

"Nice try, 'Tana. You seemed quite pained by the memory, though." The thin man's smirk grew malicious and he leaned closer to her. "What with the way you were _groaning_, you seemed quite agonized by the occurrence."

"You want to unlock these cuffs and run that by me again?" she growled, clutching the armrest of the chair in anger with enough force to turn her knuckles white.

"I'll leave that to him," the thin man said smoothly, pointing his thumb towards the hulking man. "I have no interest in fighting you."

"You mean you don't have the balls to fight me," Katana spat with cold mockery as the hulking man stepped forward.

"Now, keep this simple, 'Tana. I don't want to have to use force to subdue you." The man's large hands had released the cuffs swiftly and Katana was instantly on her feet. But she took a single step and her knees buckled, nearly sending her crashing to the ground before the hulking man caught her. "You're quite weak from out little tests, so don't hurt yourself." He lifted her into the air and slung her over his shoulder.

"You could be a little more gentle, you know," Katana muttered. "I'm not a rag doll."

The hulking man paid no attention and exited the room with the thin man flanking him closely. They moved at a brisk pace down the hall, passing various doors and the occasional clan member as they wormed their way through the corridors. Katana scanned the area as they moved, her mind racing even as a dull pain throbbed in her skull. Her thoughts were slightly clouded, but she was coherent enough to form a foggy plan.

Katana quickly wrapped her arm around the hulking man's neck and struck at the same pressure points he had subdued her with. More force was required, but he stumbled to the ground before he was able to register her actions. She landed nimbly on her feet as the man fell with a heavy crash and Katana was after the thin man within seconds. He recoiled and gasped in shock, cowardly shielding his face as she rushed towards him. Katana lowered her shoulder and rammed him in the stomach, knocking him clean off of his feet. She continued her momentum and pounced onto him, driving her elbow into his chest and raising a choked cry from his lungs. Katana pressed her hands against his throat, clamping tightly over his airway as he frightfully squirmed in futile attempts to get away.

"Thought I was out for the count, huh? You should realize that the element of surprise is one of the best weapons a shinobi can have. And you can't break me that easily. That display of weakness was just a show to drop your guard. And it worked flawlessly."

"Please don't kill me! Please, I'm begging y—"

Katana tightened her hold, stopping his words from passing his throat. "You should grow a backbone if you want to keep your name in this clan. Otherwise, my father may very well make you worthless. Because that's what you are."

She tightened her hands on his throat, waiting for him to suffocate, but the pounding of footsteps suddenly echoed from around one of the bends in the corridors. Katana released the man's throat and rose above him, hearing his relieved gasps rush into his deprived lungs. She glared down and landed a fierce kick to his ribs before turning and running down the opposite hallway. She sprinted away from the footsteps, senses alive with the adrenaline pumping through her blood as she dodged any form of life that might be present. But she skidded around another bend and stilled herself by allowing the wall to absorb her momentum. Her breath was ragged in her throat and her head was spinning and throbbing as she saw Tenma at the opposite side of the hallway.

A humored smirk lifted his marked face as he slowly made his way towards her. "My, my, sister. You're quite the slippery eel to catch, aren't you? It's like trying to keep a grip on smoke."

"Then give up and let me go. Your methods don't work, nii-san."

"They don't work now, but nothing can hold out forever. Now, behave and let me escort you back to your room. Or do I need to drag you by your hair?"

"Only if you can catch me!" Katana whirled around and bolted down the corridor she had come, her blood roaring in her ears along with the pounding of her heart. She turned down another bend and was unable to stop herself as two arms circumvented her body and trapped her in a crushing embrace.

"Never underestimate the advantage of Kage Bunshins, sister," Tenma chuckled from above her. "You fell right into my trap just as those other two fell into yours. Now don't resist so I won't have to knock you out."

Katana furiously allowed Tenma to usher her back to her room and lock her inside._ I need to get out of here. Fast._

* * *

"I refuse, Tenma. There's no way I'm going to let you come with me."

Katana glared angrily at her brother, locking eyes mirroring her own. She had been in the custody of her family for eight days and, because of the underground location of the clan headquarters, there was no running water. Tired of the meager option of sponge baths, Katana had requested to Kinkou that she wanted a proper bath, knowing that there was a small lake with a waterfall not far from the headquarters. She had expected her aunt to accompany her, but her expectations were usually disregarded as long as she remained the rebel.

"We don't trust that Kinkou can subdue you if you try to pull a stunt like you did yesterday. I'm the only one Otousan trusts to keep you in check. You either go with me, or you're staying here."

Katana gritted her teeth and grudgingly agreed. He pulled a strip of black cloth from his pocket and tied it around Katana's eyes, preventing her from learning the path to the headquarters' exit. One of his large hands closed around her wrist and led her through the halls swiftly, guiding her sightless self to the surface of the earth. She could feel the dirt and grass beneath her bare feet, the sun shining down warmly. It felt so alien from the cold, dank walls of the headquarters and she savored the thick smell of nature. Such a simple thing suddenly seemed so important.

She could hear running water when Tenma removed the blindfold and the small lake was the first thing she saw. It was quaint and calming with the gentle crash of the waterfall and the lapping of the ripples on the rocky shore. Katana set down the towel and spare clothes she had brought and turned to glare at Tenma.

"What are you looking at?" he growled as he folded his hands over his chest.

"Are you just going to stand there? I would prefer not to have you watching me."

"We're siblings, 'Tana."

"The only think that classifies us as such is our blood. Move away, brother."

"Fine. But I'm not going to go far, 'Tana. Don't even think about trying to escape." He turned and walked off into the surrounding trees, his chakra flare powerful and eminent to show how near he was.

Katana took as much time as she could, averse to returning to the underground. She was soon wading out to the waterfall and standing just out of the pounding torrent of the falling water so only a gentle stream cascaded over her. The deepest area only reached to her shoulders and she ducked under several times, listening to the muffled roar of the waterfall. Her thoughts were cleared even if her head continued to ache from the previous day.

_I need to take action today. I don't have much time. Sure, that memory wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but that was just the first. It can only get worse from here. And I can't shake this headache. I have to escape as soon as possible. The element of surprise is my only advantage._

Katana returned to the surface and sighed, staring down into the water at the distorted rocks below. She looked at the scars lining her skin and a rueful smirk crossed her face. _All of these scars… I have to have at least twenty of them and they're only the visible ones. Who knows how many I have on the inside and how many more I'll receive?_ She could feel Tenma's chakra flare and could almost sense his impatience as he fidgeted erratically. He had never been content to sit still and wait for someone.

Katana waded back to the shore and retrieved her towel, casting a wary glare in the direction where Tenma was located. She pulled on the new shift dress with an annoyed sigh and wrung out her wet hair. Pulling it quickly into a braid, she could hear Tenma's heavy footsteps on the grass as he returned to her.

"Alright, let's go." He raised the black cloth but Katana stepped back.

"Give me a few minutes, Tenma. I want to stay in the sun a little longer before I have to go back into that hole in the ground."

Tenma rolled his eyes and sighed heavily as he sunk to the ground. He leaned against a tree and rested his hands behind his head, closing his eyes. "For being one of us, you certainly like the sunlight."

"I need my vitamin D. Leave me alone." Katana stared up into the swaying trees and clasped her hands behind her back. "I had a question for you, nii-san." Tenma grunted his acknowledgement. "You have several very strong members in the clan, such as that guy you sent with the thin man yesterday. If you want to accomplish your goal with me," she shuddered slightly, "then why don't you just get someone like him to subdue me? Or why don't you just knock me unconscious? Why do you feel the need to 'break' me?"

"It's quite a simple explanation, 'Tana," Tenma murmured as he cracked open one of his eyes. "If I know you at all, you would never settle to remain idle and passive if we just took advantage over you. We need you broken so you won't want to fight back. If we tried to carry out our plan now, and we tried something as simple as knocking you out, you'd wake up and raise hell. And there's no way that you'd keep the next generation…safe. You'd do anything you could to prevent the birth of another child of our blood, right?"

"So it seems you do know me, nii-san. I don't know whether to be flattered or concerned."

"Just get your fill of the sunlight and let's go back." Tenma closed his eyes and sighed again. "I never did like it when it's so bright outside."

"Really? So you don't like light?"

"No. I've got a demon sealed within me. That's pure darkness right there."

"So, fire is off the list too?"

"Fire? Well, fire is associated with Hell, but… What are you getting at?"

"Nothing. Just thinking out loud."

Tenma opened his eyes as his suspicions rose and he caught the tail end of a pattern of hand seals Katana had woven. "What?! Your chakra is supposed to be sealed!"

"Oh really?" Katana released an enormous tongue of flame from her mouth, striking Tenma directly in the chest. He bellowed in pain as the grass around him ignited and the flames spread up to the tree behind him. And Katana broke into a dead sprint.

She ran through the trees blindly, her only goal to get as far away from the headquarters as possible. The ground was hard beneath her bare feet and she controlled her chakra to her legs to increase her speed to an Anbu-like pace. Sharp underbrush and other thorny plants sliced at her feet and legs while sharp rocks jabbed into the soles with every quick step. But she hardly noticed the pain in her frantic flight and chakra-saturated limbs. They were practically numb. Her teeth were gritted together tightly, so tightly that she felt they might break. She felt hot determination course through her blood as she sprinted, determination to keep herself out of the hard life that her clan had planned for her. She was determined to keep running and she willed herself to not to fall.

Katana had risen and fallen, risen and fallen until it seemed as if she was living her life on an ocean wave. She had survived many deadly experiences, and every thing that had not killed her had only made her stronger. It was her life: rising, falling down, and rising again. But this time she was determined not to fall again. She planned on staying standing no matter what. She felt the wind part around her body as she tore through the trees, her breath rasping in her throat. But she could not feel safe until she could see Konohagakure, no matter how far away it was.

Katana bit her thumb and quickly wove a pattern of hand seals and threw her hand out to the side to hit a tree. A dragon leaped from the puff of smoke and fell into flight beside her, weaving through the trees nimbly.

"What is it, Katana-sama?"

"I need you to go to the Village and tell Neji that my family captured me. I've been trying to escape and I think I've finally succeeded, but just let him know."

"Is that all?"

"Just look for the headquarters and find it's location. Fly high so you won't be seen. And if you meet any danger, you may dispel yourself."

"Understood." The dragon rose to the treetops and vanished over the canopy.

Katana resumed her breakneck pace and felt that she was indeed going to succeed. But something sharp scraped across her back and she stumbled.

A ferocious roar rose from the forest behind her and she caught her balance on a tree, whipping her head around to the direction she had come. Tenma burst through the trees, his body distorted and warped. The marks had covered his skin, turning it a deep shade of navy, and his eyes were a vibrant red. His demon was just beneath the surface and was threatening to break free of the seals, wrath and ire rousing the creature into action. Vicious claws extended from Tenma's hands and one was covered in blood.

"GET BACK HERE!" His voice was not his own; it was deeper and gravelly.

Katana could feel herself blanche and she turned to continue running, but her brother's hand was around her waist in seconds. She was dragged to the ground and pinned to the earth, Tenma landing over her and staring down with bloodlust in his eyes.

"I SHOULD KILL YOU FOR THIS!" he roared in fury. He twitched and shook his head, struggling to control his demon. The markings soon receded and returned to their normal places but his eyes retained their red hue. "But I have orders to be docile, which is REALLY DIFFICULT!" He struggled to suppress the markings as they attempted to crawl across his flesh once more.

Katana could feel her blood seep from the scratch on her back onto the grass beneath her. She stared up at the hot sun above her and sighed weakly. _I've fallen again_._ Why must it always be this way?_

"Next time, you won't get away. You'll regret this act, sister. I swear it." Tenma gripped her neck and she fell into blackness.

* * *

There was a gentle creaking, the faint squeaking of hinges, and Katana pulled herself awake. She quickly rubbed her eyes and stared towards the door as it slowly opened. _That's odd. Usually they come barging in with no disregard._ She sat up and waited, eyes narrowed and strained in the darkness. She saw a figure slip inside without closing the door and creep up to her bed. They stepped into the small slat of moonlight that came from the window and Katana gasped loudly.

"Shhh. Keep quiet or we'll be discovered."

"Neji!" Katana cried in her loudest whisper, leaping up and throwing her arms around his neck. "Thank Kami. You don't know how happy I am to see you."

"I'm quite sure that I can guess. Let's go."

"Wait just a moment." Katana embraced him tightly and ran her lips slowly along his jaw line, his body tensing against her. She reached his mouth and kissed him lightly before he pulled away roughly.

"Enough, Katana," Neji growled, pushing her back.

She winced and crossed her arms over where he had hit her chest just below her collarbones. "Jeez, you don't have to be so rough. What's wrong?"

"Don't be so dramatic; I didn't push you that hard. Let's just get out of here. I don't want to stay here any longer than I have too. Just consider yourself lucky that I thought it decent to come and save you."

"Decent? What are you talking about? This is very unlike you. You're acting like when we first met."

"Just get on your feet and follow me. We must remain undiscovered. You don't know how difficult it was to get in here and find you. You owe me one, Katana. Actually, you own me several times over." Neji grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her out of the room, activating his Byakugan and running down the hallway. He wove through the corridors skillfully, changing direction several times to avoid dangers only known to his eyes.

"Could you be more careful? My arm is about to come out of my socket with the way you're pulling me along. I'm dizzy, too."

"Do you want to get out of here or not?" Neji glared back at her and Katana met his gaze in confusion. It was not the normal glare that she remembered he had once given her. It was softer and not at fierce, very different from what she was used to. He seemed to catch her confusion and he looked away, quickly resuming pulling her along the corridors.

_Something's not right. He's acting so strangely and that glare wasn't his._ Katana staggered as he wrenched her in another direction. He suddenly, uncharacteristically, swore and turned back, only to swear again and come to a halt.

"We're surrounded now. Your clan is coming from all sides."

"Then we'll fight them off. You and me just like before. Memorable, isn't it?" Katana cast him a smirk and he glared at her coldly, but the glare was still different than what was normal.

"Have you no weapons?"

"No. They took my swords. I only have my jutsu."

"You do know that your chakra is sealed, right? I can see it."

"What?!" Katana quickly tested his claim, and she found it to be true. "They must have resealed it after Tenma recaptured me."

"Must I always protect you? You're still so needy and dependent."

Katana looked back at him as she heard the footsteps start to approach. "What's gotten into you? Why are you acting like this?"

"Let's just say that I'm sick of coming to your rescue."

Katana stared at him in wide-eyed shock. "I don't understand. Neji, how can you say that? What about what you said the last time we saw each other, the night before I left on the mission… What we did…"

His brow furrowed and he would not meet her gaze. The footsteps were suddenly upon them and clansmen swarmed from all sides. Katana felt Neji's hand clamp onto her wrist again and pull her towards one side. She fell against the wall and heard the battle ensuing behind her. She turned and saw large shadows locking together and searching for their targets, Neji's white-clad figure darting in and out of sight. Katana grit her teeth and leaped at the closest figure, landing a solid kick to the back of his knees and sending him toppling down. She ran to join Neji, quickly positioning herself back-to-back with him.

"Stay back, Katana! You'll only get in the way!"

"Not a chance. We fight together; we fight to the final breath. And if we lose, let us die hard."

"This way!" Neji buried his palm into another figure and pulled Katana down a clear path before she could react. "Keep up or we won't get away!" Katana sprinted as fast as she could to keep up with Neji, but her feet seemed unstable beneath her and her head spun with dizziness.

"Neji, I can't—"

"Up here," he directed, pulling her up a steep flight of stairs and into the open air. Katana inhaled deeply to try and clear her head, but she stumbled and fell to the ground. "Get up, Katana. We have to get out of here before they follow us."

"Neji, I don't know what—"

"Watch out!" Neji dove over her, blocking her from something unseen in her eyes.

_Shluk._

Neji's eyes widened and Katana gasped as a large bloodstain blossomed over his chest. His arms gave and he collapsed on top of her, his body heavy. Katana wrapped her arms around him, feeling his blood begin to soak her shift, and she slipped out from under him with difficulty. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the crossbow bolt protruding from his back and saw how deeply it was buried.

"No." She pulled it from him and rested him onto his back, staring into his chalk-white face. It was becoming paler by the second. "No. Neji, don't die. You can't die! You can't!"

"L-look-k w-what y-y-you've d-done," he rasped, blood running from his mouth with every word. He coughed violently and blood spurted onto his shirt. Most of the white fabric had already turned red.

"No! It's not my fault! Neji, don't die! You can't! NO!" She caressed his ashen face, tears springing into her eyes. She quickly wove a set of hand seals, but her chakra was immobile. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized that she was unable to initiate her medical ninjutsu; she was powerless to help him. "This isn't happening! IT CAN'T HAPPEN!"

Neji's eyelids fluttered and slowly fell closed, a shuddering breath leaving his lungs. His head lolled to the side and Katana felt as if her heart had stopped as well.

"No." She felt his neck, searching for the pulse that had already ceased. "No!" She felt his chest, desperately feeling for the throb of his heart, the throb she had coveted, the throb that she had listened to while lying on his bare chest over a week ago… But all she could feel was the wound that was still gushing blood as if determined to rid his body of every drop of the life fluid. She now realized that the bolt had pierced a section of his heart.

She stared down at her bloodied hands, stared at his lifeless features, and her sight blurred with tears. "This _is _my fault. What have I done? _What have I done_?!" She looked up to the sky, seeing dawn just beginning to paint it with vivid colors. And the firm vice of despair finally found the proper grip on her heart. "NOOOOOO!" Katana collapsed forward onto his chest and fell into sobs, clutching at him with every attempt to somehow keep him alive. But he was already gone.

* * *

Katana gave a cry and sat up abruptly, her breath strained and heavy. She looked in all directions and found that she was in her room once more and Kinkou was sitting on the edge of her bed. Katana touched her face and found tears still running down her cheeks. Sunlight was streaming from the window.

"It was a dream?" she whispered in disbelief, her chest feeling hollow and her head still spinning. "It was a dream!" Nausea suddenly swept over her and she turned over to the edge of the bed and violently vomited over the side, coughing harshly. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and noticed something on her palms. She stared at the substance and saw that it was dried blood. The vice suddenly recaptured her and she stared down at her shift. It too was covered in a large amount of blood. And she knew that it wasn't her own. She looked back to Kinkou and saw the sadness in the woman's eyes. The blood was still damp against her skin.

"No, 'Tana. I'm afraid that it wasn't."

Katana felt as if the air around her had disappeared. Everything had all happened so fast. Too fast. She felt nauseous again, but could only fall limp onto her bed, every subtle sound echoing dully in her ears. She stared blankly at the ceiling, tears running from her eyes of their own volition. _He's gone. It's my fault that he's gone. I couldn't heal him. I'm the reason that he's dead._ The words echoed perpetually in her mind, drowning everything else to nothing. Only after Kinkou had been gone for several hours did Katana realize what had happened: they had found the proper force to sever her mooring rope. She had been broken.

* * *

Author Note: Bet you didn't see that coming. What do you think? I'll try to update soon so you guys don't flame and curse me out. This chapter was originally a lot longer but I took out a couple chunks that I didn't think were important. I'll bet the ending was a punch in the face, right? Or will it be that significant? Not all things are as they seem, remember that. But I want to know what you think and please try not to make me cry. I'm on break so I hope to get a chapter out before the new year. But if not, have a happy new year and I'll see everyone in 2010 (holy crap! Already?). Not much else to say, so digest this for a while and try to be patient for the next chapter. Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	50. Chapter 49: Bring Me to Life

Chapter 49: Bring Me To Life

"You went too hard on her."

Shuhan raised an eyebrow at Kinkou's words, casting her a sidelong glance. "What makes you say that?"

"She's not broken. She's shattered."

"Good."

"No. You don't understand. She hasn't moved from her bed in two days and all she does is cry. When she's not sleeping, she just blankly stares at the ceiling. And tears are running down her cheeks either way. And she always vomits when she wakes up in the mornings."

"Then she's in perfect condition. We can continue with our plan without any resistance now. Her subjugation was our main priority and we certainly got exactly what we wanted." Shuhan turned to the thin man who had manipulated Katana's memory previously. "You did well to redeem yourself."

A smile cracked the thin man's gaunt face. "It was the least I could do. With the amount of memories that she had with that boy, I knew he had some significance in her life. Never underestimate the power of genjutsu. But this was one of the more difficult ones to pull off."

Shuhan furrowed his brow. "Why? Elaborate."

"I had to make the boy as close to his true self as possible, but I had only limited knowledge of his behavior from the memories I had glanced through. I might have made a few mistakes, but luckily it was good enough for Katana to buy it."

"The only thing that matters is that you succeeded," Shuhan muttered, discarding the thought that there could have been flaws in the plan. "But now we can begin our true mission. I'll give her a day or two more to process the situation a little further. Then…" He looked around the room at the collected clansmen and a sinister grin spread slowly across his countenance. "Then we will commence our plan and finally finish it."

-:-:-:-:-

Time was nothing. She hardly paid attention to the changing light in the room; whether the sun or moon provided illumination, it did not matter. She was numb with her frozen blood running through her veins, feeling as if her soul had been torn out of her body by a viciously clawed hand.

_Why did this happen? How could I let it happen? _The eternal flow of tears continued to track down the sides of her face. She curled into a tighter ball, clutching her knees to her chest and emitting feeble sobs. _Why, Neji? Why?_

She cracked open her eyes and stared at the grey stone wall through her tear-blurred vision, tightening her grip on the bed sheets around her. She dragged her nails over the fabric as she choked suddenly as her sobs caught in her throat. His name fluttered out on her breath, her voice hoarse and pained. She murmured his name repeatedly, a futile attempt to call him back from the other side. The tension in Katana's body fell slack and she became dead weight on her mattress, the tears rolling down her face faster as her body was wracked with spasms from her silent sobs.

"Come back, Neji," she whispered in a shuddering voice. "Lead me back home. Call my name, Neji. I've been calling yours. Make me feel again before I come undone anymore than I already have." She fell silent and waited rigid, straining her ears to listen for the response. She waited for the door to open and for the Hyuuga to come rushing in, waited for him to shake her and say it had all be just a bad dream. She waited for him to lift her into his strong arms and embrace her, an embrace that would chase away all of her fears and shield her from all others. She waited for him to save her.

But the door remained closed. And she remained alone.

* * *

"You have to give me this mission!"

Tsunade stared at the Hyuuga with narrowed eyes. It was extremely uncharacteristic of him to be so outspoken and defiant. He usually accepted orders or rulings without a sigh or change of expression. Being raised by such a noble clan, it was expected of him to respect his superiors. But, for some reason, Neji was being irrational.

"You know I can't do that, Neji," Tsunade growled colds. She rubbed her eyes and stifled a yawn, irked that he had come to her office in the middle of the night. "Not only is it impossible for me to send out a jounin like yourself on a worthless mission where you are needed elsewhere, but your request is also stupid. I'm sorry to tell you this, but Katana was sent on a suicide mission. She's dead, Neji."

"No she's not!" He slammed his hand down onto the top of Tsunade's desk, turmoil causing his brow to crease and breath to hiss through gritted teeth. "She's alive! She escaped from the building you had her destroy! And her clan captured her! You have to give me clearance to leave the Village! You don't know what they will do to her!"

"Listen, Neji," Tsunade slammed her own hand on her desk, causing it to splinter slightly. Her tone was harsh and filled with anger, and Neji suddenly regretted his actions. "I don't know where this information came from, or why you suddenly know about certain Anbu missions. And I don't know why you're acting like this. But I can't let you leave. You have a mission tomorrow morning and that is much more important. You can't go off chasing ghosts and wishful thoughts. I sent her out there to die, and she hasn't reported back in nearly two weeks. I think that's proof enough that she's gone."

"Wrong!" a coarse voice growled. A small dragon leaped up onto Tsunade's desk from where it had been sitting at Neji's feet, startling her and forcing the creature to avoid the few punches she aimed in its direction. Once the Hokage had calmed down, the dragon strode up to her, locking her with its reptilian stare. "You have no idea of the events that have occurred."

"And who are you?" Tsunade snapped at the dragon, jabbing it in the snout with a fingernail.

The dragon growled at the contact to its nose. "I'm one of Katana's summoned dragons. She summoned me several days ago. And she directly told me what had happened. She told me to get here and tell Neji Hyuuga that she was in the possession of her family. Her escape attempt failed and she's in more danger than death could propose."

"And why should I trust the words of a winged lizard?"

The dragon narrowed its eyes and let out a rippling snarl. "Because I've had direct contact with her! You have no idea what her clan will do to her. Shouldn't you be happy that one of your skilled jounin kunoichi has survived death and is still alive? Shouldn't you be running for the chance to bring her back? Or do you want to lose her talent?" The dragon's gaze was steely. "Do you want to let her face tortures worse that death for her? Even as we speak, we may already be too late."

"What do you mean by 'we'?" Tsunade murmured threateningly.

"Hokage-sama, please," Neji began, but Tsunade held up a hand.

"I don't want to hear any more of this. I sent Katana on a mission that she was not supposed to return from. Those were her orders. I don't want her to be denied the chance to accomplish her mission to its fullest extent."

"You can't do this!"

Tsunade looked into Neji's eyes over her steepled fingers and she had to admit that she was surprised. She had never seen such a large hint of despair in the Hyuuga's eyes, and he seemed highly pained by the thought of Katana's death. He hung his head and allowed his features to fall into shadow.

"Please, Tsunade-sama. You do not know what her clan will do to her." He took a shaky breath. "And they may have done it already. Please." He looked up again. "You have to let me save her!"

Tsunade looked at his expression and her heart skipped a beat. She would have held her title as the Legendary Loser if she had betted that she would never see such a look on the stoic Hyuuga's face.

"Please. All of this time, I can't believe I couldn't see." He hung his head again. "I waited for her to return. I knew she was alive. I didn't know what stopped her. I was kept in the dark, but the answer was right in front of me. The dragon told me what had happened, that her clan had captured her, and I… I can't let it happen to her. If you knew what her clan wanted of her, then you would—"

Neji fell silent as he heard the scratch of a pen on paper. He looked up and saw that Tsunade was filling out a mission scroll hastily. She stamped the bottom with the Hokage's seal and held it out to Neji. "Make it quick, Neji Hyuuga. And don't expect any favors from me for a while. Now go before I change my mind." She turned her head to the side and waited for him to take the mission.

Neji felt numbed. "Th-thank you, Hokage-same. Tha—"

"I said go, Neji."

He clasped the scroll and followed the dragon as it ran out the door and into the night. It would be his guide in reaching the Suterusu Clan headquarters.

Shizune, who had backed to the side of the room once the discussion became heated, stepped warily back up to Tsunade. "Why did you give him the mission? It's going to throw your plans off, you know."

"His face," Tsunade murmured.

"What?"

"I've seen that expression only once before, and although his was much more toned down, I could never deny it. It's an expression that means that half of your heart is in danger. You have to do anything to save that other half, no matter what the cost. But it's strange. Of all the people in the world, Neji Hyuuga is the last person I would expect to witness it from."

"Who was the other person who gave that expression?"

"Myself. With Dan, I was the same way." The Hokage cast her eyes down in brief remembrance, before quickly shaking it off. "I never would have known how much that girl meant to him. I wonder what he sees in her. But for his sake, I hope he succeeds in getting her back." Tsuande yawned and rose from her desk chair. "But this _is _Neji Hyuuga we're talking about. I'll bet he'll bring Katana back without any problems. Now, I'm going to get some sleep."

* * *

_How long have I been asleep? A day? A thousand years? Why does it matter anyway? _Katana stared up at the stone ceiling, feeling sick as was custom for nearly the past week. She was shivering under the many blankets she had curled herself under, frozen inside under her skin. Without any touch, without any sympathy or caring thought directed her way, Katana felt as if she had fallen into one of the deepest pits of Hell. _It must feel something like this, right? Only I would be burning inside, not freezing._

The lock on the door suddenly clashed open and a tall figure slunk inside, pulling the door tightly shut behind him. Katana turned at vacant stare in his direction, but she had no interest in the man as he stepped forward. He stood over her, looking down with a stare as blank as hers, but he shook his head and sighed.

"I guess I should greet you, but you don't look so up to it."

"What do you want?"

The man scratched the back of his head. "Well, it's kinda awkward to say out loud, and I'm not even sure how I could word it, so…" He shook his head. "I'm just going to introduce myself. My name is Sonchi."

He suddenly had Katana's attention. She sat up and stared at him with wide eyes. It was the most movement she had made in several days. " 'Sonchi'... That means…'continue'."

"Yeah." He scratched the back of his neck again. "So… I think you—"

"Don't you dare come near me." She crawled back with difficulty as her limbs trembled, attempting to put as much distance between them. The attempt was meager. "Don't take another step."

"Jeez. I thought that they said that you wouldn't resist. This makes things a whole lot more difficult."

"How can you be so relaxed about this?" Katana felt tears begin to stream fervently down her cheeks.

"They changed my name just for his purpose. I have little choice." Sonchi stepped forward.

"I said to stay back! Don't do this!"

"You can't resist, Katana. And I can't stop what has to happen. It isn't my decision to make. I'd say I'm sorry if I meant it, but they washed my mind to feel nothing." His approach continued.

"No! Please don't! Stay away! NO!" Katana pressed herself against the farthest wall away from him, but Sonchi just shook his head.

"Just give in, Katana. Make this easier for both of us." He stared into her eyes, the eyes that were the same identical brown, both dulled to the color of mud by the actions of the clan. "You have no where else to turn. Your friend has been killed. Your whole Village thinks that you're dead. There's no one out there for you but us. So don't chase dreams. They'll only become nightmares when you wake up."

Katana hung her head and allowed her tears to fall freely, her sob-ridden breaths shaking her body. Deep within her, she knew he was right. _I know what I'm without now..._"Just… don't… please leave me alone. Please… I'd rather have nothing than have this…"

"Even when you're shattered, you fight with your words." Sonchi pulled a syringe from his pocket and removed the cap covering the needle. It was already filled with a highly concentrated anesthetic. "I'll let you sleep. At least then I know you defiantly won't fight." He flicked the tube twice before Katana raised her head to register his statement.

"What?" She saw the syringe. "Wait! No! NO!"

But he roughly took her arm and pressed the needle under her skin. Katana clawed at his arm in a last effort to resist, the flutter of her heart beginning to grow feeble and slow. Her breath calmed even as her terror rose, and she felt her body begin to slouch. She stared up at Sonchi as he looked down at her and she closed her eyes, tears still running down the sides of her face as she felt unconsciousness claim her.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

A smudge of flickering light smeared across her vision. It was dim, barely distinguishable as a different color in the blackness, and it was becoming no brighter. It slipped into sight before quickly vanishing and then it would flash every so often. But it never stayed for long.

But the light shimmered brighter every now and then, becoming stronger for a moment before being swallowed by the ebony void. It would try to take root and grow, spreading out to illuminate and uncover the world. But it would always succumb to the darkness, its arid nature preventing anything but more sable night to stay.

Only then did Katana realize that she was trying to open her eyes.

_What happened to me? Why can't I wake up? Am I hurt? Did something attack me? Or…am I dead?_ But she knew she could not be so lucky.

She fluttered her eyelids forcefully, but they only cracked apart slightly to allow minimal light to permeate the dark. She struggled, slowly gaining awareness of the world around her as feeling seeped back into her limbs. And once she fully opened her eyes and the light brought her room back into focus and cleared her head, she remembered about her body. She remembered its functions and uses. She remembered which actions she could perform and which ones she could not. And she realized what had been done to it.

Her despaired cry rang through the entire stronghold, one long, agonized note of utter horrified failure. She stared up with fogged over eyes, her tears flowing freely with nothing to hold them back. _Why can't I die? Why didn't I let them kill me?! I should have killed myself before I let any of this happen!_ She could feel nothing but an incredible pressure suffocating her, making it difficult to draw in the slightest breath. _Someone save me. Anyone. Neji. Please save me! Same me from this nothing! Bring me back to life!_ But her mind called out to no one and she was left with nothing. Nothing but her tears.

* * *

Author Note: Hi, guys. School took no time to tighten the handcuffs over my wrists the second I stepped through the door '-_- I didn't mean for the wait to be this long. But I had difficulty writing this chapter and thought it would be longer, but that didn't really work out as I planned. I think the obvious subtlety worked/is working, no? I hope Neji wasn't too OOC. In any Neji pairing fic he has to be a little, right? And I hope the dragon wasn't too confusing. Anyway, I want to get next chapter out by next week, but I auditioned for my school play and most likely got a part in the ensemble. So between that and homework, I'm going to have very little time. But I'll do my best. I own nothing, just what has been previously claimed. Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	51. Chapter 50: How You Remind Me

Chapter 50: How You Remind Me

"He's really dead, isn't he?"

Kinkou looked over at Katana as her wane voice mumbled softly. Her head was bowed and her gaze was cast down, glassy and weak. She did not move or alter her gaze and kept it steadily on her hands as they rested in her lap.

"The white-eyed boy?" Kinkou saw the slightest twitch in Katana's brow. "Yes. He's gone. It's good that you've finally come to grips with the situation."

She balled her hands into fists, but they relaxed quickly and she lay back down on her pillows. "What should I do? What _can_ I do? Now that he's… I just don't know if I really do believe it… But…"

"Don't worry yourself. Let it leave your mind and just focus on your family."

"Easy for you to say." Katana closed her eyes as tears began to stream down her face. "You're just happy because your role has been passed on to me. You're not the clan's whore anymore, so of course you can talk like everything is alright."

Kinkou rose from where she sat and tossed a clean shift down next to Katana. "You do have a point. But I haven't played that role in many years. But you do make it positive that I, indeed, will never hold that title again."

"Great. Aren't you supposed to be my caretaker? Shouldn't you be trying to make the situation less impacting?"

"I should, but I don't think there is anything that I can say to you." Kinkou walked towards the door. "But I'm at least relieved that you're talking like you used to. The sarcasm is reassuring. It seems that you're shattered soul has picked itself up a little." She walked out of the door and shut it heavily behind her.

"You have no idea, Kinkou-obasan. Nothing can mend this." Katana stared up at the ceiling and touched the burn scar on her palm, the scar she had received from saving Neji's life once. "Façades are the only thing I have left now. And I just hope to Kami that I haven't lost myself entirely."

* * *

She heard it again. The soft clunk as the heavy lock on the door slid back and it was opened with the utmost care. Whoever was beyond it did not want to wake her or be discovered. But she was tense and aware. The door had been opened the same way by two other people: Neji and Sonchi. And if it was the latter again, she was determined to piece herself together just enough to take his life.

But Katana's planned movements faltered as the figure stepped into the moonlight slanting from the barred window. She never thought it would be the former approaching her in the night. He had heard her mental calls and pleas, and had finally answered. But she felt even more torn than she had ever been.

"No… It can't be…"

He paused and stared at her for a moment, his face slightly hidden in the darkness. "You're okay." His shoulders seemed to relax slightly as if a great wave of relief washed over him. "I… I'm so…" He took several steps forward.

"No… Neji… Oh, please, no… No!" She sat up quickly and slid back against the wall on far side of her bed, eyes wide and head shaking back and forth at a constant rhythm.

He paused again. "What's wrong? Did something—"

"Don't come near me," she hissed, her chest growing tight and her body beginning to tremble. "I won't fall for another of their tricks."

"What are you talking about?" He stepped closer again. "It's me, Katana."

A chill ran down her spine as he said her name, his tone echoing in her ears and causing her next exhalation to be shaky. "Th-They made you flawless." She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth as the pain in her heart grew. She clutched the sheets beneath her. "Why are they doing this? What more do they want? What more can they take?"

"Katana, we have to go. You have no idea how difficult it is to get in here without being detected. You can tell me everything once we are a safe distance from this place. And you will never have to come back." Neji stepped up to her bed, leaned forward, and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't fucking touch me!" Katana slapped his hand from her shoulder and sprang forward, hands clasping his neck as he stumbled and fell to the floor. She sat on his stomach, glare boring into his white eyes with the intent to kill. "This time, I'll destroy this illusion that they cast over me. My clan won't play me this time. You're finished!"

She was not given the chance to tighten her grip. Neji took hold of her waist and easily lifted her and he rose to his feet. She writhed in his grasp and he heavily threw her down onto the bed. Katana began to protest loudly and he clapped his hand over her mouth, standing at her side.

"Stop this!" he hissed in the loudest whisper he dared. "You'll get us discovered!" Neji cast a wary glance to the door, his Byakugan scanning until Katana began to fight again. She kicked at him and clawed at his hand, muffled cries faltering against his fingers. He quickly moved to subdue her by resting on all fours above her, his knees on the inside of hers and one hand on her shoulder while the other kept her mouth covered. "Why are you causing trouble? Didn't you send your dragon to come tell me that you were captured by your family? Wasn't that an invitation to come and rescue you? So why are you resisting?"

Katana fell still, eyes wide as she stared up into Neji's eyes, her breath coming in quick short gasps. She tightened her hold on the hand that was still pressed over her mouth, tears once again sliding from her eyes. Neji allowed her to move his hand, her grip tightening further. She snapped her eyes shut and dug her nails into his skin as if doing everything she could to prove that he was actually there.

"Why…? How…? I don't understand… You're dead. I saw you die. I was the one who knelt over you without the ability to save you as you bled to death. But…how could you know about the dragon? My clan had no idea that I did that. And they didn't know my message… But I…" She cracked open her eyes and raised one of her hands to trace her fingertips along the side of his face. Her tears increased as Neji took her hand in his.

"Whatever that incident was, it was false. I'm here, Katana. I'm here to bring you back to the Village."

"NO!" She grabbed the front of his shirt and locked his eyes. "You're not real. I can't believe this or I'll fall into another trap. I won't let them destroy me any more. Their tricks won't work on me now. I won't let you, you false monster, take away the little sanity I have left!"

Neji clamped his hand over her mouth, scanning the surrounding area with fear that they had gained unwanted attention. She was screaming against his hand, the volume enough to breach his fingers.

"You need to stop this. _Do_ you want your clan to kill me?" Neji's efforts were useless in quieting her. He suddenly reached into his pocket and pulled out a strip of material and held for Katana to see. "Will this convince you that I'm real? Will you see reason?"

Katana instantly fell still and her eyes widened as her gaze fell on the object Neji held to her: her choker. Neji could feel her begin to tremble under him and she clasped the hand over her mouth even tighter than before. She ran her hands up his arm as her breaths came in the way of someone who was crying. Katana rested both hands on the sides of his face and Neji moved his hand from her mouth.

"That choker," she whispered as she sat up slightly, "was given to me by my mother." The tears in her eyes no longer held sadness. "She made it so that it cannot be duplicated by someone else. It will only appear again if I make shadow clones, but no one else can make a copy. You can't be a genjutsu. You couldn't have that if you were." She fell to her tears and she pulled herself up and embraced him tightly. "Neji, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, but I just…" She felt him wrap his arms around her tightly and rest them on their sides, holding her against him to coax the fragments of her shattered being back into place.

"No, Katana. I'm the one who should apologize. I should have known something was wrong and come to search for you sooner. I never should have let any of this happen."

She loosened her embrace just enough to let her gaze meet his. "It's not like you to say sorry." He could feel her hands tighten on the back of his shirt. "You're not fooling me, are you?"

"You've changed me in many ways, Katana. I can't deny that. What can I do to convince you beyond any doubt?"

"Answer this: How did I get the scar on my stomach?"

"This one?" Neji traced the scar through her shirt, knowing exactly where it was located and causing Katana to shiver. "You receive it from an axe blow on our first mission together. We had to destroy a rebel stronghold and you were attacked by the leader. And I saved you."

Katana pressed her lips to his, her fingers running through his hair as tears of relief ran down her cheeks. He responded by kissing her back and pulling her as close to him as he could. Katana let a smirk lift the corners of her lips. "You kiss the same too. Just like before…" Neji recaptured her lips and his hand rested on the small of her back over where her chakra seal was and he cocked his head to deepen the kiss while keeping it as chaste as possible. But his eyes suddenly flew open and he gently pulled apart from her, looking towards the door.

"I'm sorry, but we need to leave. There must be someone who knows I'm here by now, and—"

"Yeah," Katana murmured. "But they're used to me yelling out in the middle of the night. They'll probably think nothing of it." She suddenly fell still and the previous joy faded like snuffed out candle. She suddenly clutched his hand and took a shuddering breath. "Oh Kami, what have I done?"

"What's wrong?"

Neji sat up and Katana followed and buried her face into his shoulder. "I can't believe this. I let them do it. I let them break me and— Neji, I thought you were dead." She clutched at his shirt as the situation set in. "What have I done? I let them… I can't go back."

"What?" Neji was caught off guard and held her at arm's length to look into her eyes.

"I can't go back to the Village, Neji." She held his forearms. "After what's happened to me, I… I can't face everyone."

"That's ridiculous. Now, let's go before there is a risk of us being caught."

"You don't understand." She tightened her grip, desperately looking into his eyes. "Neji… They… carried out their… plan." He gave her a look of confusion. "I was broken. I could do nothing to fight. Neji, they… made someone… I'm sorry." She hung her head and let her arms drop. "I'm so sorry."

"Enough of this." Neji's gaze was the familiar glare that she had seen when they had first met. There was nothing wrong with it this time. "This isn't the Katana Suterusu I know. The girl I know has dealt with terrible experiences like this. She's endured incredible hardships that would make any other kunoichi crumble. She's defied death his right to her life and spits in the face of those who believe have superiority over her. She gets knocked down, but quickly rises to stand taller than before. That is the Katana Suterusu who I knew and who evoked emotions in me that I had never felt before."

Katana's eyes widened but she hung her head in sorrow. "That Katana Suterusu was not her clan's puppet the way I am now. This is different, Neji. This is something that cannot be changed or covered up. This wound won't heal. This is something I cannot stand up from."

"You don't have to stand up alone." Neji rose to his feet and took her hands, facing her as she still sat on the bed. "I've stood beside you through most of what you've been through. I've been the cause of most of it. So I'll be the one to guide you. I'll support you if you start to stumble and I'll pick you up if you happen to fall. The only one who can fix yourself is you, Katana, but I will do everything I can to help. Now stand up."

Katana's eyes suddenly gained a spark that had not been ignited for a long time. She rose to her feet and stood in front of him, locking his eyes with a smirk. "Thank you, Neji. Thank you for reminding me of who I really am."

"Let's get out of here. And once we're back in the Village, we will have all the time in the world to talk. But until then, stay by me and don't hesitate to do anything I tell you to do."

"Lead the way. I will follow you wherever you go, even if it's to the grave."

He held her hand and they slipped through the door, Neji activating his Byakugan and beginning to navigate his way through the labyrinth of hallways. They moved silently, creeping like two shadows, and Katana stumbled only slightly as Neji gently pulled her along. He doubled back several times, occasionally quickly turning down a sudden hallway or breaking into a sprint. He could see all of the patrols guarding the hallways and he could easily evade them. But Katana suddenly stopped and held him in place.

"There aren't just visible guards," she whispered with a slight hint of fear in her voice. "Some of the lesser clan members patrol with their kekkei genkai activated. You won't be able to see them." Katana removed her hand from Neji's and began weaving seals. "I should have thought of this before, but I thought my chakra was sealed. I guess that was an illusion, too. If you carry me on your back, it will decrease the amount of energy I need to expend. Can you do that?"

Neji nodded and the air around him became cloudy as Katana's chakra formed its barrier. "Is it possible for us to be detected if we walk by someone visible?"

"There is a chance that they may sense a difference in the air around them, so I wouldn't try it. Just do what you've been doing and find the exit as soon as you can." Katana wrapped her arms tightly around Neji's neck as he set off again, this time at a faster pace. He wove through the corridors swiftly in a seemingly uniform direction, only choosing a side path when he suddenly saw someone approaching. But he came to a halt as he turned a corner.

"Deactivate your kekkei genkai, Katana. It's interfering with my Byakugan."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I could not see those last few people until the moment I turned a corner and that was when they were located just around the next bend. I really do not like the element of surprise that your clan might have over us without my eyesight."

"This could be a mistake. We'll be in plain sight if—"

"Quickly, Katana. It will be easier for me."

Katana sighed, but was relieved that she could cancel her ability; casting it over two people in motion was far more tiring than simply casting it over herself. But once the thin fog dispersed, a wild shriek rose from the wall.

"ESCAPE! ESCAPE! THEY'RE TRYING TO GET AWAY! QUICK OR THEY'LL RUN! ESCAPE!"

A flurry of motion whirled into being halfway down the hall. Katana paled as one of the lesser clan members crouched low against the floor, dull brown eyes burning with a fire that they would only possess once in their lifetime. It snarled and leaped forward, hands outstretched in hopes of completing one meaningful action to earn a name and no longer be a simple shadow. But Neji acted by instinct and met the clan member with his palm, sending it flying into a wall to fall to the ground as a crumpled heap.

And the silence was broken instantaneously.

They swarmed from both sides of the hallway, alerted by their dead comrades call, and they were prepared to battle. Neji and Katana stood back to back, each in their own fighting stance and hearts pounding with the shock of how quickly events turned. But the torrent did not converge on them and stopped several meters away on both sides as if waiting, their weapons raised for whatever signal would allow them to strike. A figure stepped forward and away from the gathered crowds of clan members on either side, faces catching harsh shadows as the torchlight flickered over him.

"Well, well, Katana. It seems that your prince charming has come back from the dead to rescue you." Shuhan let a malicious grin spread across his features as he faced his daughter. "I never thought he could have made it this far, but it seems that I have misjudged his abilities. I'm surprised you swallowed the bait of his false death so easily."

Katana clutched her hands into fists and took an aggressive step forward. "YOU BASTARD! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD SINK SO LOW! WHAT KIND OF PERSON DOES THIS KIND OF THING TO THEIR OWN DAUGHTER?! YOU'RE MORE OF A DEMON THAN TENMA!"

"I highly doubt that, sister," Tenma said with the same grin as their father, his markings seeming to wave over his skin as the approaching battle drew closer. He stood in front of Neji and was sizing up the Hyuuga with harsh eyes. "Hardly anyone could be worse than the host of an evil spirit."

Katana whirled around to face her brother. "The spirit is your excuse!" She looked over her shoulder to her father. "This was your plan all along. All you wanted was to use me. And I won't let it happen again! I'm not going to be your whore anymore!" Neji tensed beside her, but Katana's rage was too great for her to notice.

"Such harsh words from someone who is terribly outnumbered," Shuhan raised his hand and turned his attention to the crowds of his kin. "Leave our dear Katana alive, but capture the boy in any way that you wish. We want to make sure that we give him the death he deserves for infiltrating our headquarters." He brought his hand down and the masses swarmed forward with vicious cries.

Katana's hands wove together in a blur as they neared her at a lightening fast rate. "Katon! Gokakyu no Jutsu!" Her immense fireball consumed the front lines of her side of the swarming masses and spread several rows back as the aflame people staggered into others. _I need swords!_ Katana thought desperately as she dodged the attacks of those who were beginning to get close to her. She dropped to the ground and swept a man's legs out from under him and quickly leaped away as an axe was swung her way. She sent another Katon in a circle around her to clear the area slightly and give her a moment to breathe, but there was always another clan member to replace one of its comrades whom she had felled.

Neji's blood was on fire as he agilely wove around each weapon intended to cave his skull in, as he used Kaiten to clear the area if the ring became too constricting for injury to be evaded, as he knocked the people away with well-placed Kuushou jutsus, and as he caught every detail of every movement each person made. He searched through the crowd to find Katana's brother, his intended target, but the man was lost amidst his kin and Neji was forced to settle on clearing their ranks first. He swiftly buried his palms into anyone who came within his range and he made sure to stay out of the way of anyone who wielded a long-range weapon. His next Jyuuken blow felled a swordsman and Neji was quick to take the weapon as it fell from the man's twitching hand.

"Katana!" he called as he threw the sword behind him.

She turned and caught the weapon, a smirk crossing her features as she swung the blade at her next attacker. Her previous disadvantage decreasing, Katana was able to add offense to her evasion maneuvers. She took another sword from another clan member she felled and sliced at anyone who entered her range. Her bare feet sunk into piles of dust that were scattered over the floor, the remains of her kin accumulating swiftly. She watched them crumble once the blood spilling from wounds she had inflicted became too great. Katana plunged her swords into two people simultaneously and leaped into the air to dodge the axe that was swung at her ankles. She quickly split open the neck of the axe-wielder and turned to her next attacker, but stopped short as the chain of a kusarigama nearly struck her head. She faced her father and saw her kin form a circle around to two of them.

"Just you an me, Katana. This is our battle."

"Wrong. It's my revenge!"

Neji caught sight of the ring that had formed, but was given no chance to go to Katana's side. His attackers were persistent and he had to focus all of his attention to keep them at bay. Neji entered his sixty-four palms stance and rapidly struck at the opponents surrounding him, lunging to get within range before springing away to strike another. He reached his last blow and watched the disintegration of the people around him as cardiac arrest overtook those he had fatally struck. As the man in front of him sunk to his knees and fell to pieces, Neji locked eyes with Tenma's dark gaze as he came into view. They stood adjacent to one another and a ring formed around them as well, the clan members waiting for the moment when they could rejoin the fight.

"You messed with the wrong crowd, Hyuuga," Tenma said with a smirk that was uncannily similar to Katana's. "I'd surrender myself if I were you."

"Sorry, but you seem to be confusing me with the illusions that you conjure up. I do not falter when posed with a challenge." Neji lowered into a Jyuuken stance.

"Fine. It's your life."

Katana dodged as her father threw the chain of his kusarigama towards her and she leaped in to slash at him. Tenma extended one of his arms and it began to grow and warp, the black markings turning blue and writhing across the flesh. Vicious claws grew as the muscles became knotted and ropey, the demon leaking through to supply the necessary power. Shuhan caught Katana's blade on the sickle of his weapon and averted its course to send Katana off balance. She used her sword to catch herself and drive her foot into Shuhan's stomach, causing the man to stagger back. Neji slid to the side as Tenma's hand shot forward and nearly caught the Hyuuga in the chest, but he was quick to retaliate and drive his palm into Tenma's forearm. The markings on his skin shuddered before darkening and growing.

Tenma let out a ring of mocking laughter. "You're techniques can't block my chakra. My demon won't allow it."

"You should be more respectful to your father, Katana," Shuhan growled as he rose to his feet.

"You shouldn't use your daughter as a puppet for your own needs!" Katana threw one of her swords at her father and he blocked it with the sickle, leaving him open for Katana to slice his arm open with the other blade.

Neji evaded Tenma's gropes and swings, striking the enlarged arm whenever it got too close. Tenma's other arm began to lengthen and the markings were growing to darken his skin to a grey-blue. Neji drew a kunai and buried it into Tenma's arm as it swung at him again, but the blade did not faze him in the least. Neji quickly retreated to a safe distance before Tenma could attack again and entered his one hundred and twenty-eight palms stance. Tenma paused with uncertainty at the sight of the stance and Neji claimed the opportunity of his opponent's hesitation. Neji rained expeditious attacks against Tenma's tenketsu, blocking the chakra points faster than the demon could regenerate the energy. Neji ended with a firm, chakra-powered palm thrust to Tenma's heart and the Suterusu fell backwards and landed with a heavy thud. Upon seeing Tenma fall, the surrounding clan members quickly converged on Neji and he was instantly thrown back into the previous battle.

The blow Katana had intended to use to cleave her father's skull open was blocked by another clan member who had quickly stepped. She punched him in the temple and left him to stagger back into he ring that was growing smaller and smaller with every movement Katana made to overtake her father. Shuhan gazed up at her with narrowed eyes.

"If you kill me, it will end in your death. My previous orders will be nothing and everyone around us will want your head."

"Like I care." Katana rested the tip of her blade under Shuhan's chin. "As long as your life is ended by my hands, I don't care what befalls me."

"And what about the Hyuuga? What will happen to him?"

Katana faltered for a moment, but it was a moment too long.

Shuhan lashed out and rammed her knee with his heel, raising a cry of pain from Katana as she sunk to the ground. He was quickly on his feet and swung the weighted chain of the kusarigama and hurled it at Katana harshly. She raised her sword and prevented the weight from striking her body, but it wrapped around the blade of her sword and held fast. Shuhan pulled at the weapon, wrenching it from Katana's grasp and leaving her open. She scrambled backwards as he swung the sickle, her hands instinctually moving to catch his arm before the blade could hit her. Shuhan was stronger than her and easily pressed the sickle closer and closer to her neck.

"I thought you wanted me alive?" she hissed in a strained voice through gritted teeth, struggling and failing to push the sickle back.

"A little bloodshed won't hurt you."

"And what about the child I'm carrying?"

Shuhan's pressure let up as shock widened his eyes and Katana pulled her legs up and bashed his jaw with her knee. She continued the motion to roll backwards and faced her injured parent and she grabbed her sword from where it had fallen to the ground. Katana rose to the ground with her weight on her leg without the injured knee and fell forward into her father, her sword held in front of her. She could hear it plunge into his chest with a grotesque squelch, but gave a cry as he impaled the back of her left hip with his sickle. She stared into his brown eyes as they became glassy, the pain growing in her side as she felt her blood begin to soak into her shift.

"You're too defiant to carry a child of the clan successfully. I'd rather have you dead than risk you killing it." Shuhan gave a choked gasp as blood gushed from his mouth. He shifted the sickle's blade.

"B-bastard!" Katana gasped as the weapon dug into her, white hot lines of pain radiating from the impalement. She jerked the sword in her father's chest and heard him groan and draw a shaky breath.

"Destroy this place," he said in the most commanding voice he could manage, addressing anyone who would listen. "Let the earth crush us all."

Neji finally eliminated enough of the clan members to retreat safely and examine his surroundings. He looked back as the other circle began moving in on Katana, who he could see was in its midst with his Byakugan, and saw a single person move away towards one of the walls. Neji caught sight of a paper bomb embedded within the earth and quickly ran to Katana, realizing what was going to happen after hearing Shuhan's faint words.

"Hakke: Kuushou!" Neji's jutsu broke through the outer ranks and he attacked those still barring his way Jyuuken strikes, clearing them away and causing the occasional unlucky Suterusu to break into dust. He reached Katana and lifted her into his arms, ignoring the clan members who were still attacking and he sprinted away down the corridor as fast as he could. He could feel her clinging to him tightly, her hands clutching at his shirt.

"Don't let me disappear. Neji, don't let me disappear. I don't want to die and fade away."

He could feel her tremble against him, he could hear the shouts of the clan members pursuing him, he could feel the sudden shudder of the walls around him, and he could hear the first explosion in one of the distant hallways.

Neji came to a halt and gently set Katana on the ground, concentrating his chakra as swiftly as he could. He turned to the wall and stared up, channeling his energy to his palm and hitting the wall harshly. His Hasangeki destroyed the wall and earth, opening a path up to the surface. The explosions were drawing closer and the ground shook harshly, but Neji was able to reach Katana and bring her to the surface. He broke into a dead sprint into the forest, determined to put as much distance between them and the headquarters as possible. He heard the explosion reach the surface, the deafening roar echoing off of the trees and other foliage. And he continued running.

"Neji, stop," Katana whispered, gripping his shirt tighter. He slowed his pace but only kept to a jog. "Please stop. My side… Neji, I—" He finally came to a halt and looked down at her, his face growing as pale as hers. The bloodstain had grown to nearly soak the whole back of her shift. Neji rested her down against a tree and she clutched her side as her face twisted with pain. He knelt down next to her and examined the wound.

"Can you heal it?" he murmured, adding his own hand in an effort to apply enough pressure to staunch the blood flow.

She shook her head and met his gaze with tear-filled eyes. "I don't really trust my chakra right now. I just…" She fell into soft sobs. "I don't know what to do, Neji. I can't go back to the Village. I don't want to die. The only thing I want right now is you."

"I won't leave. You don't need to worry about that. Use my chakra to heal yourself, and then I will bring you back to the Village and everything will be amended. Everything will be alright."

Katana's hands tightened over her wound. "It's not that simple. And I don't think that you have enough chakra to heal me. And you're hurt too."

Neji disregarded the few lacerations he had sustained. "Don't worry about me. You're the one whose life is at risk."

Katana held his gaze for a moment longer before resting one of her hands on top of his. She closed her eyes and sighed, the pale violet aura faintly shimmering around their hands. Neji was caught off guard by the amount of chakra she pulled from his depleted reserves, and he gritted his teeth to resist pulling away. His energy continued to drain, but Katana seemed no closer to finishing healing her wound. She tightened her grip on his hand as if to prevent him from leaving her, and, with one last heavy draw on his energy, relaxed her grip and allowed the violet aura to fade.

Neji found himself struggling for breath slightly and he sat down next to her to overcome the dizziness that had washed over him.

"I'm sorry," Katana whispered. "I should have only healed it halfway and let you keep your chakra. I got carried away."

"No, it's fine." He tried to keep his voice even as to not alarm her. "As long as your wound is healed, it does not matter."

Katana leaned against his shoulder and he could feel her smirk. "All these times we've spent together… It nearly killed you on so many occasions. You're just as defiant of death as I am." She raised the hand that was less blood-covered and touched his left shoulder over where his scar was located. The light pressure of her hand stopped the dizziness Neji was overcome with and the night world around him cleared. He looked down at her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, feeling that they were shaking slightly.

"We should go. The sooner we get back to the Village, the better."

"Can we just stay here for a few minutes? I'm really cold and my head is spinning. I think my blood loss…"

Neji sighed and pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms tightly around her as she curled up against him. He scanned the area quickly with his Byakugan and saw no threat. Only the collapsed remains of the Suterusu clan headquarters posed an ill mark. "Fine, just for a few minutes."

"Neji?" She met his gaze. "I've said it several times, but I just want you to know that I love you. And I swear I still do." She lowered her head and rested it against his chest, listening to the beat of his heart and closing her eyes. "Just in case anything happens, just keep that in your mind. And thank you for saving me from that nightmare."

Neji allowed a smirk to lift his features and he leaned his head back against the tree trunk. He ran his fingers through Katana's hair as he listened to her stabilizing breathing. As long as there was no danger and she was slowly recovering, he decided they could spare a few more minutes.

* * *

Author Note: Hi guys. So that's the end... NOT! But the end really is near. There's only going to be one or two more chapters left, just as a heads up. I had a lot of fun with this chapter, and I know some things were off or questionable, but please hold all inquiries until next chapter. I'll do what I can to explain everything. Anyone catch my itsy-bitsy "allusion" to_The Catcher in the Rye_? Major kudos if you can =D So, I hope to write more, but I have midterms (blarg) but I'll see what I can do. So, not much else. I own nothing, just what has been previously claimed. Happy MLK Day eve. Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	52. Chapter 51: With Me

Chapter 51: With Me

Katana opened her eyes slowly and blinked to clear her vision. She glanced up to meet Neji's gaze as she stretched carefully, her joints gently popping and cracking.

"How long was I asleep for?"

"Not long, half hour at the most. How are you feeling?"

Katana flexed her fingers and hung her head. "I still feel weak. And my knee is starting to hurt from when my father kicked it. Walking may be a problem."

"That's the least of our worries." Neji slipped a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "We should start to return soon. Tsunade-sama is waiting on me to go on another mission."

Katana inhaled sharply and shook her head. "I told you, I can't go back, Neji. I just can't. After what they did to me, I—I—"

She wrapped her arms around Neji's neck and buried her face into his shoulder. Neji returned the embrace gently and sighed. "We need to return, Katana. There is nothing for you outside the Village. Take a few more minutes if you need it."

"But what about my clan?"

"You don't need to fear them. The headquarters was razed and everyone inside it was buried. The only things left are several paper bombs that failed to ignite. Either they were protected by chakra or were defective, but in any event, there is nothing to fear. Hn. It seems that you're the last of your clan."

Katana released a sigh of relief. She relaxed into his lap and rested her head against his chest, taking his hand and interlocking their fingers. The night was slightly cool, but she still shivered from the lack of warmth her shift provided. She took solace in the strong arms around her, believing that they were blocking out all the horrors and dangers that could possibly still lurk in the night.

"Here. Before I forget, I should give this back to you." Neji removed her choker from his pocket. "I kept it safe, just as you asked."

Katana let the corners of her mouth lift in a meager smile. "Thank you. I'm glad you had the chance to give it back to me." Katana swept her hair up and away from her neck and Neji fastened the clasp of the tight necklace. "I just wish it was under different circumstances."

"What do you mean?"

"Like if I had succeeded in returning to the Village. If I hadn't been captured, everything would be different. I imagined you giving this back to me after I had miraculously returned from the suicide mission as everyone became suspicious of my actions. And only we would know what I really did to avoid death." Katana shook her head. "It's silly. You'd think after being a shinobi for over a decade of my life, I'd learn to realized that such wishful thinking is foolish."

"You shouldn't banish your dreams completely. It's always beneficial to have a small spark of hope for the unnatural to keep yourself alive."

Katana met his gaze with a somber smile. "I guess that's what kept me from succumbing to my family sooner. If I hadn't imagined that you would save me, I would have let them have their way the moment that I was captured." She dropped her gaze and bit her lip. "But I still gave in at the end. Oh Kami, what have I done?" She buried her face into her hands.

Neji pulled her close to his chest and leaned his head back against the tree truck. He mulled over her words as the wind ruffled the tree leaves and bent the branches, the bark creaking from the unnatural movement. "Katana?" He felt her head shift to look up at him. "I… I need to ask you something. Back with your clan, when you were fighting your father and I was fighting your brother, I heard your conversation." Neji looked down to her unturned face. "You told your father that you were…" Katana squeezed his hand as her eyes grew glassy with welling tears. He suddenly did not want the answer, but knew he needed to know. "Is it true… about the child?"

She rested her head against his chest. "I'm not sure, Neji," her voice softly responded. She met his puzzled expression. "I was trying to fight off my father, so I said the first thing that came to my mind that would distract him. It succeeded in throwing him off guard… but now I'm not sure if I was entirely lying. And I really can't be certain of anything right now." She held his hand even tighter. "That's why I can't go back to the Village."

"It's not the end of everything, Katana. You can move forward from this situation."

"No I can't." Katana pulled away from his chest and sat on the grass adjacent to the Hyuuga, staring directly into his eyes. "I wouldn't expect a man to understand the situation fully. This is something that will be with me forever, no matter what path I take. Even if it's not true, the events that occurred in that damned underground building still happened. There's nothing I can do about that."

Neji sighed softly. "You have a point, but it's not as drastic as it could be—"

"What my family did to me was still despicable!" she cut him off. "I was _related_ to the man!" Katana slammed her fist into the ground, hanging her head and snapping her eyes shut. "That's something that can't be disregarded. And I'm partially to blame. I could have fought harder. I could have—"

She felt a hand rest on her shoulder and she looked up, her nose nearly brushing Neji's. "Don't say another word. Yes, the past can't be changed, but learning from it will certainly effect the future."

"But how can I learn from something like that?" Her voice was a hardly audible whisper. "How will I ever move forward? How can I live my life after all of this has happened?"

"Live your life with me." Neji gently pressed his lips to hers. "I don't want to lose you again, Katana. I've walked so many streets alone with nowhere to go, finding ends with every corner I take. And I finally realized what I didn't have." He pushed her hair behind her ear and leaned closer to her. "These words are my heart and soul, so don't say that you're going to give everything up."

"I guess even stones can crack when the right force is added," Katana mused softly, resting her forehead against the cool metal of Neji's leaf headband. "I guess I should be honored to be the one to evoke emotions in the stoic Neji Hyuuga." She wrapped her arms around him. "But there's one thing I need to know."

"What is it?"

Katana turned her head and inhaled the scent of his hair, feeling her heart begin to beat at a faster rate. "We've been through so much together is such a short period of time. I've dragged you into things that you should never have been involved in, I've changed you in a way that you might not have wanted. And if you're angry with me for this, then I want to apologize. But if you're not, then just answer this one question." She suddenly hesitated.

"What question, Katana?"

She tightened her embrace and took a shuddering breath. "Neji Hyuuga, do you love me?"

He was silent, his body tensing in her arms. The minutes slowly passed. Their heartbeats grew rapid: one from anticipation, one from shock. The wind picked up, blowing the trees into disarray and sending eddies of leaves scattering into the air. And still he did not respond.

Katana relaxed her embrace and closed her eyes slowly in defeat. "I… I guess that… I understand."

"N-no. Katana, wait." He seemed to be released from stone, his body coming to life once her embrace vanished.

"Don't fool me, Neji. If you don't, then you don't. There's nothing I can do to change that." She turned away, staring off into the darkness heralding the rest of the forest. "I had just hoped that you felt as strongly as I did. I just wanted one thing in my life to not be a farce."

"It's not a farce!" Neji clasped her shoulder.

"Then why didn't you respond?" She looked at him over her shoulder. "I thought that… after what we've been through together… After we… the night I left… I thought you'd be able to say it. Just three simple words…"

"The reason I didn't respond was because you caught me off guard. And I've never said anything like that before. I've never in my life expressed any emotions of affection to anyone. When you've kept your emotions buried for most of your life, bringing them to the surface is difficult."

Katana hung her head. "I'm sorry. You're right. I shouldn't have demanded that from you."

"And aren't my actions proof enough?" He kept his gaze firm as she looked up. "I would not act in half the ways I did if I didn't feel so deeply about you. Right?" He extended his hand and she took it. "I'm sure that you know by now that I don't do anything without having a reason."

"You're right. I'm sorry that I doubted you." Katana extended her hand to brush Neji's cheek as she drew closer. A somber smile brightened her features slightly even as tears glossed her eyes. "I don't want this moment to ever end. Right now, everything is nothing without you. Even me; I'm nothing without you." She closed her eyes and her smile widened. "Thank you for everything. I don't know where I'd be without you."

They captured each other's lips and pressed close to fight off the chill of the wind as it picked up to a stormy pace. "Definitely not in this situation," he murmured as they broke briefly for air. She silenced him with another kiss and let the wind carry away her fears on its fearsome gales to worlds where they could be left to never return.

But fear was a loyal dog; no matter how far it strayed, it always found a way to return to its master.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Mmmh." Katana set her hand on Neji's chest and pushed him back slightly. He languidly allowed their lips to separate.

"What is it?"

"Did you feel the ground shake?"

"No. It's probably just the wind."

"I felt it shake. I know it." She looked to the side across the forest floor. "Something isn't right. Let me up." Katana slid out from under where Neji had been standing on all fours over her and pressed her hands flat on the ground.

"What do you think could be out there? Your clan is dead."

The ground shuddered again, an irregular heartbeat reverberating to the crust of the earth.

"Hn. I see you weren't imagining things," Neji murmured as Katana threw him an I-told-you-so glance, activating his Byakugan and gazing out into the trees. The white, grey, and black shapes of the world seemed undisturbed, only disrupted by the violent gusts of wind. He looked further into the forest until he reached the remains of the Suterusu Clan headquarters. The trees had been cleared away and a deep depression had formed in the land like a giant crater. Debris littered the ground in erratic arrays of wood, stone, and chunks of metal. The ground shuddered again, this time with more power, and a hazy white form wavered beneath the rubble.

"Is there something there?" Katana murmured as she saw a crease appear in Neji's brow.

"We have to get out of here. Now." The Hyuuga rose to his feet and grasped Katana's forearm to pull her up beside him. "There's someone rising from your clan's headquarters. And I certainly don't want to be here when they reach the surface. Let's go."

Neji tugged her forward and broke into a sprint, running with the wind as it wailed around them. Katana matched his pace with difficulty, her knee still troublesome and her body weakened. A thunderous crash rose behind them and a bloodcurdling howl pierced the air.

"DON'T RUN FROM ME!" it screamed in an inhuman tone. "YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!"

Katana looked over her shoulder and a terrified gasp ripped from her throat. "Neji, it's Tenma! He's still alive! The demon—!"

"YOU'RE MINE, KATANA!"

A massive hand hooked around Katana's waist and snatched her backwards, a startled cry breaking her throat. Neji turned to her as her hand was wrenched from his and he was knocked back roughly by Tenma's other hand, the man's body large and powerful as the demon fueled his system.

"NO, TENMA! LET ME GO!"

"IT'S TOO LATE, KATANA!" Tenma thundered, his red eyes shimmering with malice and wrath. "THIS TIME I WILL WIN!" He turned to Neji's direction and bared his growing fangs as his eyes narrowed to thin slits. "And you can do nothing, Hyuuga." Tenma's hand flashed like lightening and slammed Neji into a tree.

"NO!" Katana struggled in her brother's grasp, but the hold of the massive hand remained as tight at ever.

"DON'T RESIST, KATANA," Tenma snarled as he kept Neji's limp form under a scrutinizing glare. Satisfied that the Hyuuga would not rise, Tenma turned and bound off into the trees.

"NO! TENMA, LET ME GO!" She looked back to the clearing they were receding from. "NEJI!"

Tenma quickened his pace and clutched her tighter, his voice rippling with a growl. "He can't save you now. No one can save you. The two of you will die in this forest tonight. I assure you that."

Katana stared up at him with wide eyes, her breath growing shallow. "It wasn't supposed to be this way! This isn't supposed to happen! You can't do this! You can't!"

Tenma slowed his pace slightly and locked her gaze with a cold grin. "Watch me."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

The moment Tenma released her from his grasp, Katana backed as far away as she could before her spine came in contact with the cold rock wall. He had taken her to a small cave in a large rock formation not far from the ruins of their clan headquarters, starting a fire to fight the darkness. Tenma rubbed his eyes and shook his head, his skin slowly fading to its normal pale complexion. He rolled his shoulders as his body returned to its normal size, and he glanced to his sister as his eyes eventually faded back to brown.

"You've caused so much trouble, you little bitch. I would kill you right here and now, but I need to be patient."

"W-what are you going to do to us?" she whispered, wrapping her arms around her knees to warm herself as much as she could.

"I know that bastard is going to come here once he catches sight of us with his damned eyes. Then I'll go outside and give him a proper greeting." Tenma curled his hands into fists. "And I know you'll come outside to 'help him', but you'll distract him just enough for me to snap his neck." Tenma gave her a wide grin and laughed mockingly. "This feels like one of those tragic love stories you read about. Forbidden lovers think that they're home free, then tragedy strikes and one must watch the other die." Tenma bent at the waist and stared directly into her eyes. "But I'm considerate of my little sister. I'll let you meet the same fate."

"Why, Tenma? I thought you needed me!"

"For what? Restoring the clan?" Tenma stood straight and let a harsh laugh ring off of the rocks. "Spare me. We are the last ones left. And I'm not going to live long anyway. Can you see me dissipating?" He lifted his arm and held it up to the firelight. Katana could see that his skin seemed to be dissolving into the air and the seals were faded in color. "The demon finally overpowered the seals. I can't contain it for much longer, and I'll be wiped from existence once it leaks out too much." He lowered his arm and shoved his hands into his pockets. "And I'm going to make sure that the clan dies with me. You. Will. Not. Outlive. Me."

"So you're going to kill the next generation too? You'll kill your sister and your niece or nephew?"

For the first time, Tenma's echoing laugh was of true humor. "That won't work on me, Katana. Father was always too gullible for his own good, so he fell for that hook, line, and sinker." He sat on his haunches in front of her, traces of his laughter still warbling his voice. "But I'm not so easily fooled. You may very well be carrying a child, but I'm not so sure that it's purely of our blood."

Katana stared at him, her brow furrowing. "What are you talking about?"

"Sonchi had a very loud mouth. And he had no shame in discussing matters that would make you go bat-shit crazy on his ass. And you aren't as pure as we thought."

Katana could feel a cold prickling sensation crawl up her neck, the sensation she had when being discovered during an Anbu stealth mission. "And you're point?" Her voice was tight with anxiety.

"Want me to say it in plain English? _Sonchi isn't the only one who's banged you_."

"W-what the hell?!" Katana recoiled in shock. "That's insane! What would make him think that?!"

"Is it true?"

"_What would make that monster think that_?"

"Answer my question, Katana. Is it true?"

She hardened her gaze. "Do I have to tell you anything? Does it even matter?"

"It might just save your life."

Katana paused for just a moment too long for any denial to be convincing.

"You _whore_! It is true!" Tenma stood up suddenly and turned to the cave's entrance. "And look at this. That Hyuuga has impeccable timing. He's surprisingly good at recovering from strong attacks. But he's just in time for me to kick his ass straight to hell. Come and watch, sister. It's going to be the last time you see that bastard alive."

"NO!" Katana sunk her teeth into her thumb and wove a swift pattern of seals. Slamming her hand to the ground, a large serpentine dragon burst from the smoke and barreled into Tenma, carrying him out of the cave on its horns. Katana ran after them and stood at the edge of the cave, looking down the steep slope that led to the forest floor. Tenma was rising to his feet with a snarl as the dragon banked and barreled into him again, sending him sprawling to the ground once more.

"Katana-sama!" The dragon rose to the mouth of the cave and allowed her to clamber onto its back. It carried her to the ground and slipped into the trees, skidding to a halt after some distance was covered. It looked back at her, a hint of inquiry and surprise in its eyes, but the emotion was quick to vanish and it lowered Katana to the ground. "I sense that the Hyuuga is approaching rapidly. I'll stall your brother long enough for you two to escape. Now get out of here."

Katana nodded, turned, and ran off to where she could sense Neji's chakra flare, his arms suddenly encircling her as he caught sight of her with his Byakugan.

"Katana! You're not hurt."

"We have run." She tugged him back the way he had come, determined to go in the opposite direction of Tenma. "My brother wants to kill us. And my dragon can only stall him for so long."

"Then let's go."

"YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" Tenma's voice thundered as the dragon released a bellow of pain. Katana turned to see the dragon disappear in a burst of smoke and Tenma leap forward with his eyes glowing a fierce crimson. "I SAID YOU WON'T GET AWAY! YOU'RE GOING TO DIE!" He rammed into Katana and engulfed her in a crushing hold, the Jyuuken strikes Neji inflicted on him having no effect. Tenma sprang off into the forest, but Neji was in quick pursuit this time.

"GET BACK HERE!" Neji yelled.

"DON'T BE TOO EAGER! IT'S YOUR LIFE NEXT, HYUUGA!" Tenma could feel Katana writhing in his grasp and his body continually weakening. He was fading faster, his body beginning to diminish at a quicker rate.

Katana felt it too.

They suddenly broke through the trees and came to the ruins of the clan headquarters, Tenma springing into the crater without fear. Neji skidded to a halt at the sudden drop and stared as the older Suterusu fell and crashed into the ground, rolling a far distance to fall still close to the center of the crater. As he finally came to a halt, Tenma's grip fell slack and Katana burst from his arms.

Neji stared as Katana scrambled to her feet and began to run towards him, and the movements of the siblings suddenly slowed down considerable. She ran, her feet pounding over the debris-ridden ground and getting cut and punctured on any and all sharp protrusions. Her steps were awkward, tears streaming from her eyes as her footprints began to be marked with blood. Tenma lifted his head and watched her flee. And he knew that he could not chase her. He was fading too fast, his body already nearly gone. He looked down at the ground and into a small hole beside his head. It was deep, but there was something at the bottom.

Neji saw Tenma's face light up and saw the object at the bottom of the hole. Katana continued to run, the tears running from her eyes at an even faster rate, fear radiating from her body. She was so close to freedom; she was so close to the edge of the crater. Neji knew he could pull her up once she reached him, but his eyes were glued to Tenma. She was only several steps away, but her pace was erratic with her torn feet.

With the last of his fading energy, Tenma lifted his arm and angled it to be pointing into the hole. He lifted his eyes to watch his sister as she ran. A cold grin lifted his face, the markings nearly gone.

"KATANA! THE PAPER BOMBS!" Neji fell to the ground, reaching his hand out to her. She was so close, just a few steps out of his reach. She stumbled; her shredded and bloodied feet about to fail her. She looked to Neji and extended her arm, eyes wide as her legs finally gave.

He would have reached her.

But Tenma buried his hand into the hole into the ground.

And the paper bombs were ignited.

And Neji pulled his hand back in recoil as the first blast shook the area.

The explosion was deafening. Fire erupted from the ground like a misplaced volcano, the light blinding Neji as it set off a violent chain reaction. A scream rose to his ears and he looked down into the crater despite the heat and light burning into this sensitive eyes.

Amid the spouts of soil, metal, and stone, Neji could see Katana's ebony silhouette. Her head was thrown back, her arms were slowly rising in the air, her voice piercing the air with an agonized cry. But with the next explosion, she vanished in a wave of fire and a burst of earth, the force throwing Neji backwards.

He hit the ground hard, his head striking a stray tree root and bright lights flashing across his vision. He blinked rapidly to try and clear his sight, but with every effort his vision grew foggier. The explosions grew dull and muffled as if smothered in a soft blanket, and the flashes were dimmed as blackness crawled across his vision. He closed his eyes for a moment.

He opened them, but everything was dull and smudged like a black and white painting where the colors had bled together. Something was moving over him, wavering in his blurred eyesight. Whether it was a tree, an animal, or some other creature, he could not tell. And he closed his eyes, and this time, did not reopen the.

* * *

The first thing that he became aware of was a soft pressure on his cheek. He tried to open his eyes, but the lids were weighed down impossibly and he fought for true consciousness. Muffled voices registered in his mind and the pressure on his skin became more tangible. His body slowly rose to existence, the weight of the flesh reclaiming his spirit and allowing his mind to regain its abilities. He attempted to open his eyes again and they were lighter this time. He fluttered them open, but a vibrant light struck his sight and blinded him. He blinked rapidly and heard the voices become more distinct around him, calling his senses back into activity.

A shadow fell over him and he opened his eyes slightly to gaze on the figure. It was female, her hand the one pressed to his cheek. She was sitting beside him, her features gradually becoming more distinguishable from the rest of the world. He finally determined that she had brown hair falling on either side of her face and brown eyes looked into this with worry.

"Ka…ta…na…?" he mumbled as he continued to clear his vision. He finally opened his eyes fully and the figure instantly changed as the bright light vanished. Her hair was pulled up into two buns, her eyes held a warmth despite their worry, and her glowing skin held no scars or marring patterns.

It was not Katana.

"Neji, you're awake," Tenten said with sudden relief evident in her features. "I'm so happy. We thought you were comatose." She rested her head on his arm, soft sobs shaking her thin body.

"What… happened to… me?" Neji lifted his heavy arm, his muscles tight and cramped. He rubbed his eyes and caught sight of the wires and tubes protruding from under his skin. He looked around and determined that he was in a hospital room, the white walls reflecting the light that came in through the open blinds.

"You don't remember?" Tenten lifted her head, her voice regaining its worried tone.

"I remember… fire…" Neji closed his eyes and felt Tenten's hand gently stroking his arm. Her touch unnerved him; it was too delicate from what he was used to. "Fire… and explosions… and running from… a monster. But why? Why was I running?" He looked to Tenten and saw an odd expression hidden in her eyes. They used the mask of anxiety for his well being, but he realized that the underlying emotion was almost… hope. Hope that he would not remember something.

But his memory would not fail him.

Neji could feel his skin pale as he remembered her. "Katana. I went to save Katana." He watched as the expression of hope melted to defeat in Tenten's eyes. "Where is she? What happened to her?"

Tenten seem to contemplate whether or not to answer, but the door suddenly opened.

Tsunade strode in, a doctor flanking her. "I was called once we confirmed that you were regaining consciousness," the Hokage declared as she paused at the foot of the hospital bed. "You really screwed me up, Neji. I told you to get back here quickly."

"Hokage-sama," Neji murmured quietly. He slowly sat up, forcing against fatigue and his weakened body. "How did I get back here? Where is she?"

"After you weren't back by the next night, I sent two chunin out to search for you against my better judgment. But I knew something must have gone amiss. And what do we find? You, sprawled out like a corpse, at the edge of a huge crater. They brought you back and we treated you. You sustained a head injury that didn't seem too serious by sight, but knocked you out cold enough to be out for two days. And that's the reason for your current predicament."

"But what about Katana?"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, then slowly closed them. "I need to talk to you about that."

His breath caught in his throat. Neji recognized the Hokage's tone. It was the voice she used when telling patients their status, the voice she used to tell family members the condition of their hospitalized kin, the voice she used when talking about the past. It was the voice that had been used by one of his clan members when Neji had been told that his father was dead. It was the voice that heralded despair.

"What do you mean? She was in the crater. She should have been there!"

"Neji, don't get worked up."

Neji instantly fell silent at the tone Tsuande used. It was flat, monotonous. The tone used when all hope has been lost.

"Where is she? What happened to her?" Neji eyes were wide, his breath tight in his throat as his voice acquired a hint of desperation. He could no longer feel Tenten beside him. It was only he and Tsunade between the blanched walls of the hospital room.

"The team was sent back after they brought you back alone. I made sure that they scoured every inch of that crater." Tsunade hung her head and took a deep breath.

"Did something serious happen to her? Was she severely injured by the fire? Just tell me if she will be okay."

"Neji, I… I don't know how to say this…" Tsunade trailed off and slowly raised her head to meet the Hyuuga's gaze. "They couldn't find her."

Neji felt his chest lock, trapping his breath. "What are you saying?"

"She wasn't there. All they could find was rubble and the remains of fire."

"So she's still out there! You have to search for her!" Neji could not understand the sensation clutching his chest. He felt nauseous, and his words seemed to be the only thing that would prevent the thoughts of reality from penetrating his mind.

"Don't fool yourself, Neji," Tsunade said softly, her gaze dropping. "We both know what happens to those of the Suterusu Clan. Once their life leaves them, their bodies disintegrate and nothing is left of them but a pile of dust. You said that Katana was engulfed in fire. Neji, we couldn't find a body."

"No," he whispered. "No, it can't be…"

"I'm so sorry, Neji. But… Katana… She's dead."

Everything was silent, the world made no sound. There was only the throbbing of his heart as it rung in his ears, his body entirely frozen. He was numb, his body seeming to be nothing more than an empty shell. Should the slightest breath touch his body, he would shatter. He did not feel Tenten encircle him in her arms, he did not notice the sun stream more brightly into the room, he did not hear Tsunade's soft sigh of sorrow. There were only those two words ringing perpetually in his head.

_She's dead._

"It's not true. It can't be true… I was supposed to bring her back… I was supposed to save her… She was supposed to come back with me…"

"Neji," Tenten whimpered breathily. "I'm sorry."

"No!" He shook her embrace from his shoulders and glared at Tsunade, harsh accusation making him begin to tremble. "She's not dead! She can't be! You're lying!"

"I only wish I was." Tsunade hung her head and turned to the door. "I should never have bet that you would succeed. I'm sorry." She walked out the door, letting it click softly shut behind her.

"No." His voice dropped as his head spun, dizziness washing over him. He stared down at his hands, his eyes wide. "This isn't happening. This isn't real!" He snapped his eyes shut and clenched his hands into fists.

"Neji…" Tenten's voice seemed incredibly far away, yet it held a note of firmness. "I was apart of the search team. It was me and Lee. I searched that crater myself. And believe me, I searched for her. But Katana wasn't there. It's true. She's really gone, Neji."

He opened his eyes and stared down at the white sheets, his vision blurring. "No…" His vision grew more and more foggy. "No…" His sight cleared slightly and he felt a drop of warm liquid fall onto his hand. "No…"

The only thing existing in the world were the words, the voice that told him that fate had cast its cruel hand and blocked the seemingly solid path he had been walking. The path that had seemed so eternally set what now crumbling away into uncertainty. _She's dead… she's dead… she's dead…

* * *

_

Author Note: Midterms had me chained, so that's why the chapter is late but I'm proud to say that I got A's in all of my exams except English, but my teacher's an imbecile so I got a B. I'm not going to say much because I want you guys to think this over. PLEASE REVIEW!!!! Next chapter will be out as soon as school gives me a decent amount of time to breathe. I own nothing, just what has been previously claimed. Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	53. Chapter 52: Perfect World

Chapter 52: Perfect World

It was his turn to run.

Neji sprinted through the forest as fast as he could, his Byakugan scanning the area in the widest range he could control. The crater was already in his field of vision, but the distance to reach it was still large. He had been running since he was given clearance to leave the Village. Tsunade had relented her strict conduct and let him leave the Village without much of an argument; she did not seem to want to discuss the matter for an extensive amount of time.

His breath was ragged in his chest, but he refused to slow his pace until he reached the crater. He channeled his chakra to his feet and evaded any obstruction in his path, whether it was a tree, a stray shrub, or an animal that had not detected his swift approach any sooner. It had begun to rain when he had left the Village, and the faint drizzle had increased to a steady thrum of a medium shower. Despite being under the canopy of leaves, the rain still penetrated the foliage and his clothes were getting soaked more and more through.

Neji finally broke from the mass of trees and slowed his pace for the few more yards to the edge of the crater. He was battered more heavily with the rain without the protection of the trees, but he ignored the weather and intensified the chakra flow to his eyes. The crater was slightly different than what he remembered. Several sections seemed to be overturned or the rubble was disturbed, evidence of Lee and Tenten's search. The soil was becoming darker and darker as it absorbed more rain, any trace of scent or footprints becoming quickly washed away.

In a matter of hours, all traces of humans ever being in the crater would vanish.

Neji stepped up to the edge and paused, staring down into the sodden earth and puddles accumulating below him. He imagined that he could see that some of the puddles were forming in footprint-shaped depressions, but the ashen vision that his Byakugan gave him occasionally caused shadows and obscure forms to arise when rain was present. He forced himself to look away and jump down into the crater, the ground squelching beneath his feet and splashing up water.

He scanned the ground, searching for any sign that would give him a lead for anything. He had not been satisfied with Tenten's claim that there had been nothing; he had wanted to see if it was true with his own eyes.

Any footprints were nearly gone, and the few that remained led in no direction and were spaced in erratic intervals. Neji looked out across the crater, the displaced piles of rubble becoming more and more laved with rain. There was nothing indicating any human activity other than his heavy breathing. Neji walked forward, passing stones and bent metal frames rising from the earth like petrified monsters frozen in time. His eyes detected nothing on the surface of the crater, so he quickly looked deeper, searching the sub terrain for anything his teammates would have missed.

At first only more debris met his vision, the underground strewn with even more broken substances than the above world. But upon closer inspection, something of a different color caught his eye. It was buried several feet down and was half hidden by another piece of rubble, but Neji knew it was not insignificant. He picked his way rapidly through the piles and quickly came to stand over the object in his field of vision.

Neji knelt on the ground and placed his palms flat on the muddy soil. He forced his chakra into the ground, causing the soil to move away in a shallow depression. He reached down and removed a rock that had obstructed the path of his chakra and quickly repeated the process.

_This earth… It seems that someone has already tampered with it. It seems easier to move than an other area would be. _The soil was slightly loose, not packed down like the rest of the crater. It came away easy with the energy of his chakra, and it was not long before the object was within reach.

Neji reached down into the hole and withdrew the object slowly, making sure it would not catch on anything or sustain any more damage than it already had. It was Katana's choker. The jewel was caked with mud and had several gouges across the surface. The material was shredded near the ends and was torn in the middle in some places, the black cloth also stained and soaked.

Neji closed his fist over the marred gem and hung his head, his wet hair falling to either side of his face. He pressed his fist against his chest and closed his eyes slowly. "I'm sorry, Katana. I couldn't keep this safe for you… And it seems…" Neji looked up and across the crater, the destruction and desolation showing him what had been lost, "I couldn't keep you safe either."

* * *

Katana had not died the honorable death of a shinobi.

She had not died in battle while protecting the Village. She had not died while attacking the enemy without thinking of herself. She had not died with an expression of defiance or a smirk of pride for her accomplishments. She had not stricken fear into her adversaries. She had not fought noble enemies.

No, Katana had died the death of a coward.

She had died running away from danger. She had died sobbing like a small child. She had died with terror in her expression. She had died as a captive, a hostage with no control of her own fate. She had died while fleeing from a monster. She had died the death of a lowly civilian that could have done nothing to save herself. She had died with nothing magnificent to be said for her name.

And Neji knew it was the truth.

Tsuande allowed her name to be engraved on the Memorial Stone even though it was reserved for the names of those who had died in combat. The Hokage had said that Katana had been in combat: she had been fighting the control of her family and enemies that would have needed eliminating in the future. But Neji knew that the Godaime was being lenient.

Any other insignificant shinobi that had not possessed Katana's rank or mission accomplishment rate would have been forgotten once the "deceased" label was placed in their record folder. She never should have had her name engraved anywhere. But Tsunade had been out of sorts recently and Neji had noticed that she would not hold his gaze for an extended period of time.

Neji crouched low in a tree, staring out across the clearing before him. At the opposite end was the Memorial Stone with a small group of people clustered around it. Neji could pick Anko out of the group easily with her spiky violet hair. He was able to identify Riki and Amaya after some time, and there were several others who he did not know. Kiba and Sakura were present from the Konoha nine, but they did not prolong their stay and were swift to leave after placing small flowers at the base of the stone. The crowd was incredibly small compared to other memorials Neji had witnessed.

Anko, Riki, and Amaya stayed long after the others had gone, simple standing in front of the Stone with somber eyes. Neji remained where he was in the tree, debating on whether or not to approach the Stone. He had been the first one there in the morning, but he had paused in the tree for some reason. He had been unable to bring himself to go before the Stone, his body simply freezing in front of the clearing. He had not moved, and by the time he felt that it might be possible for him to go to the Stone, the small crowd began collecting.

Anko had been the first. She had run up to the Stone and dropped to her knees, scanning the bottom row of names. Her stern expression had melted to shock and she had clapped a hand over her mouth. She had jumped to her feet and backed away in horror, shaking her head slowly in disbelief. And there she had stayed until Riki and Amaya came with each other, their actions nearly identical to Anko's. But while she had only been rendered immobile with shock, the chunin had no shame in showing their tears. The others had trickled forward in random intervals. In total, only about fifteen people had come and gone.

It was pitiful.

Neji sighed softly and slipped from the tree, casting a glance to the darkening sky. It was acquiring tints of red and orange, the cloudless expanse glowing through the treetops. It had rained the previous day when Neji had gone to the crater, but he found the weather disrespectful. It was stereotypical for rain to fall on the funeral or memorial of an important person, the sky weeping along with those in mourning on earth. But the sky was bright and cheerful, smiling down on the world, the world that seemed to be slowly falling apart around the one with white eyes.

He turned his back on the Memorial Stone and began to walk away, his hands in his pockets and his pace slow and uncertain. Neji was far from sure if his actions were the right ones. His footsteps were heavier than they normally would be and the sound echoed off of the nearby trees slightly. The echo made his two feet sound like a group, and he glanced behind himself to make sure that he was truly alone. But his glance was met with the harsh force of a fist.

Neji stumbled backward and caught himself on a tree, feeling blood begin to run from his nose. He pressed his white sleeve over his face and turned to his attacker, only to have a forceful hand clamp over the neckline of his shirt and jerk him forward.

"You _bastard_. YOU BASTARD!"

Neji stared into livid green eyes, the hand at his neck gripping his shirt tighter.

"Riki! Stop!"

Riki glanced behind him momentarily to hold Amaya back with one arm before quickly returning his rage-filled glare on the Hyuuga.

"_You really are a monster_! _How heartless could you be_?!"

"Riki, don't do this! Riki!"

Neji held the harsh glare of Katana's former teammate, the emerald eyes holding all of the emotions the Hyuuga only wished he could show.

"She _loved_ you. She loved you more than _anything_. ANYTHING!" Riki broke his glare and turned his head away, suppressing a sob. "And you… you don't even have the decency to show up at her funeral!" He relocked their eyes, the green now shimmering with welling tears. "You think it's okay to just stay in the shadows? Is that your form of giving your respects to a friend?" His voice suddenly dropped to a whisper. "What's wrong with you? What the _hell_ is wrong with you? Didn't you love her too? Or were you just playing her like the rest of the men in her life? Were you using her for your own gain, too? I thought I could trust you to protect her. I thought you said you would be better for her than I would be? Or were you just saying that so you wouldn't have any competition so you could drain everything out of her that you could?"

"RIKI!" Amaya wrenched him away from Neji and pushed the green-eyed boy into a tree opposite Neji. She too had tears in her eyes. "Don't take your anguish out on Neji. It's wrong for you to blame him!"

"But you can see how disrespectful that is, right?!" Riki pointed an accusing finger at Neji. "Even stones would cry given the right situation! If he cared so much for her, shouldn't he have some respect?!" Riki hung his head and buried his face into his palms and giving a restrained sob. He wrapped his arms around Amaya as she let a few tears run from her eyes as well.

"Everyone mourns in their own way, Riki. You have to have an acceptance for that."

Neji wiped the last traces of blood from his nose and turned away from the couple. "You're correct, Amaya," he murmured softly, casting his gaze to the ground. "And neither of you would ever understand." He briskly walked off, leaving them behind to find solace in each other's arms. And Neji had the sickening feeling that such solace would never be his again.

* * *

It was dark, the time of night when all life seemed inexistent and all things had retired to slumber. There was a steady wind blowing gently, running graceful fingers through the foliage of the area. Neji walked slowly and silently through the swaying trees, his jaw set and steps firm as his heartbeat began to thrum at faster intervals. He kept his pace as constant as he could, determined not to waver like he had in the morning but he could still sense a decline in his speed as he drew closer. The tree line came into sight and he took a stabilizing breath, preparing to continue to move forward. He stepped out into the clearing with the least hesitation as he could.

But he was not alone.

Neji froze where he stood and stared at the figure before the Memorial Stone, using all of his willpower to not turn and retreat away from the scrutinizing eyes of his peers. But he remained anchored to where he was, stalwart in his decision to prove Riki wrong.

"I was wondering when you would come here." Kakashi stood casually in front of the Stone, remaining facing away from the Hyuuga. "Gai told me that a friend of yours had passed away." The silver-hair jounin glanced back to the Hyuuga. "You can come closer. Only my dog summons bite."

Neji slowly stepped up beside Kakashi, but refrained from looking down at the Stone. The wind was more powerful in the open without the trees to hinder its path, but it was quick to cease and remained still.

"It may not comfort you to hear this, but I know how you feel," Kakashi said softly. "I lost two of my closest comrades when I was younger than you. And let me give you a little bit of information." Kakashi gave Neji a sidelong glance. "It's okay to cry when you really need to. Even the most emotionless of us need to show our sorrow at appropriate times. So don't feel obligated to keep your persona while no one else is around. Even I've cried in front of others before." Kakashi crouched down and ran a hand over two names engraved on the Stone. "Well, I'm late for a mission that I was assigned several hours ago, so I should be on my way. I'll leave you to do what you will, Neji." Kakashi rose and made a single hand seals, vanishing in a burst of smoke. A gust of wind suddenly blew and dissipated the smoke swiftly.

Neji activated his Byakugan and scanned the area quickly, making sure that he was indeed alone. Once confirmed, he deactivated his kekkei genkai and fell to his knees, raking his eyes over the engraved names. His heartbeat thudded rapidly and deafeningly in his head, the uncommon sense of fear clutching his body tighter and tighter. It was as if the name would be the last nail in the coffin. The last evidence that would finalize that he would never see her again. It was foolhardy, but no name was placed on the Stone unless the person was confirmed dead. Neji reached the bottom of the Stone and his eyes fell on the last name.

And there it was in perfect kanji.

Katana Suterusu.

She was gone.

Neji traced the engravings, his breathing becoming more and more labored with each stroke he followed. He reached the end of her name, his fingertip leaving the final stroke of "u", and his head began to spin.

He set his hand on the Stone to steady himself, but the dizziness did not fade as it normally did. He sat down and buried his face into his hands, his body not taking in air as easily as it should.

_What's happening? Why do I feel like this? _Neji looked back down at her name; it seemed to be the only clear thing in his vision. _I never could have seen something like this coming. This wasn't supposed to happen. You never should have died! _Neji removed Katana's choker from his pocket and clutched it to his heart.

"What do I feel? What is this?" He looked to the sky, waiting for any answer that would be given. "This makes no sense. I have no idea of what I should do now. Where should I go?" Neji looked down at the scratched gem of the choker, the dragon eye's blank stare burrowing into his mind. He found himself still struggling for breath. "Why is everything so hard? I've never felt anything like this." He looked up to the stars, their glimmering pinpoints disappearing as quickly as they would appear.

Never again would he see her fighting. Never again would he see her supercilious smirk directed to a person she felt was her inferior. Never again would he see her fire flaring out to engulf a foe. Never again would he see her swords reflecting the sun as they sliced open the body of her opponent. Never again would he see her slowly pull herself back together after being shattered like glass. Never again would he see her tears fall from despair or happiness. Never again would he see her deny death its right to her life.

This time death had won.

_I thought I was strong. I thought that my emotions were never a significant part of my life. But now…_ Neji closed his eyes and clasped his hand tightly over the jewel of the choker and pressed it against his chest once more, holding the only piece of her that he had left as close as possible. _I think… I might need a miracle… as insane as it seems. _Neji continued to have difficulty breathing, his mouth dry and throat burning. _I wish I could bring you back. If only I could turn back time… I would correct my mistake… _

Neji opened his eyes and stared to the sky, searching for anything. He had a sickening feeling in his bones, an ill-thought wish of ingenuous hope. This was the part in a fairy tale where the "happily ever after" came. This was the part when the hero, distraught and disoriented with despair, would look up and see his lover running towards him with open arm. The lover would embrace him, returning to the land of the living, and whisper sweet nothings, promising to never leave the hero's side again. The lover would take hold of the hero, restoring his broken heart and lifting up his broken spirit to full repair. They would walk off into the night in each other's arms, the stars at their backs with songs warbling from the heavens. Nothing malignant ever befell the hero or his lover; they always lived with smiles and joys and careless reveling. This was the way of the perfect world of fantasy.

But the world is far from perfect.

There was no sound from the surrounding forest. There were no footsteps, no cries of apology, no embraces exchanged. There was no assurance of well-being; there was no assistance to mend the hero's shattered soul. There were no smiles or songs from celestial beings. There was just Neji, the Memorial Stone, and a name. A name that told him what he had lost; a name that raked ebony claws through the fairy tale image.

In a perfect world, this could never happen. In a perfect world, Katana would still be there.

And the truth crashed down on the Hyuuga like a violent tsunami prepared to decimate a country. And Neji suddenly understood what Katana had felt like. He finally experienced what it was like to be fully broken by the circumstances of a situation.

She was really gone.

He pressed a hand to his throat, feeling as if it were closing more and more with each breath he took. He kept his eyes to the sky, pleadingly staring up into the coasting clouds for any answer or explanation. They were silent, passing by without response or care. He searched for something, anything, to tell him that it was a dream, anything that would shake him by the shoulder and tell him with a smirk that his imagination was getting too wild.

And then Neji saw it.

It was like an irregular patch of a cloud, yet it was small and erratic in motion. It blocked out the stars whenever it crossed them, blotting out the silver spark momentarily. It was moving in slow circles, slowly becoming larger and larger as it gradually descended to the ground. Neji activated his Byakugan, examining the creature as it became recognizable.

It was a dragon.

Neji's throat instantly cleared and he hastily rose to his feet, staggering slightly before gaining his balance. He stood and waved his arms, flagging the large reptile down to let it know of his presence. He was saved. The perfect world might have been given to the caged bird; the trapped soul given the small solace that would be the closest he would ever come to flying.

And the dragon finally alighted on the ground, muscles rippling as they absorbed the shock of the landing, wings folding tightly against its sides. Neji ran to it, looking to its back where he knew she would be, where he would assist her to the ground and embrace her in a way where he planned on never letting go.

But the breath was instantly taken from his body as he laid eyes on the nape of the dragon's neck where a person would ride. It was empty. She was not there.

"No." It was all he could manage. Neji felt his legs vanish and he sunk to the ground, his whole body becoming numb. But he was incredibly aware of the oppressive weight smothering him from all sides, the weight of reality as it smashed his previously risen hopes.

"I'm sorry," the dragon said in its deep voice, hanging its head with a somber expression. It was Shura-Tatsu, the dragon Katana had summoned when on the mission at the rebel stronghold. "I should have come at a different time."

"Why? Why did this happen? Why are you here?" Neji was unable to raise his eyes, his body too heavy to move in the slightest.

"I came to pay my respects. It's only natural that I should give our only summoner what is due to her." The dragon turned to the Stone and bowed its head majestically, extending its forefoot to deepen the bow. He held it for several minutes before slowly raising his head and sitting on his haunches to rest his crimson eyes gently on her engraved name. His reptilian features were impassive and unreadable.

"This just doesn't seem real. It can't be real!"

"Don't fool yourself with this false hope." The dragon did not remove his eyes from the Stone. "You'll only fall farther than you already have."

"Is that even possible? How can I pick up the pieces in the state I'm in? I've never experienced something like this before! Even when my father died… It was only slightly like this… With Katana, I…" Neji closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "It's my fault that she's gone. I could have saved her. I could have pulled her from the crater before the paper bombs were activated. I could have prevented this! But..." Neji pressed the choker more firmly over his heart. "I recoiled. I pulled back. My own self-preservation caused me to think about my own safety. I shouldn't have cared for what happened to myself and only have tried to save her! It was my mission! It was what I need to do for the both of us! But I... I..." Neji fell silent, the scene in his mind consuming all of his thoughts.

"Neji… It's better that she's gone."

Neji was able to lift his head and meet the dragon's eyes. "What are you saying?" He met no response. "You can't be serious about that!"

"Listen to me, Neji. I'm sure you know of what befell Katana when she was in her clan's possession. She was unsure of the results, but the dragon she summoned was able to determine whether her statement was or was not true. And we believe that someone succeeded in her clan's goal."

Neji's eyes widened. "She... She was..."

The dragon closed his eyes and nodded sagely. "And that's why it's better that she's gone. She won't have to be here to deal with the burden that was given to her. She can deal with it in another place."

Neji turned to stare at the Stone and the names etched on to the surface. "I don't know what I'm going to do. I feel as if I can't move and this has hardly sunk in fully. It's only been several days… what will I do when I realize that I will never see her again? I can't let her go."

"There's only one thing you can do." The dragon stood up and opened its wings slightly. "Find someone that you can trust and who will be there for you. Tell them how you feel. Let them know that you need them. Let them save you from falling further into despair. You can't do this by yourself." The dragon arched its neck and looked him in the eye. "Don't fall because of this. You_ can_ move forward. You just have to believe in yourself and that there will be a light at the end of the tunnel."

"I don't think I can do that."

"You will. You have people to stand beside you."

Neji opened his palm and stared down at the choker he held, the pattern of gouges indenting his skin. "Do you want this?" He held it to the dragon.

"No. You keep it. Keep it with you for as long as you love her. And even when you fell that your love has vanished, keep it somewhere safe. Who knows when you'll have the chance to give it back to her, whether it be in this life somehow, or the next. We will meet again, Neji Hyuuga. And until that time, be well."

The dragon opened his ebony wings and took several steps before launching himself into the air. Neji watched until the dragon's inky shadow had vanished in the night sky. He went back up to the front of Stone and ran his fingertips over her name again. He took a breath, the clutch on his throat finally easing up in the slightest bit.

"I love you, Katana." A single tear ran down from the left corner of his eye, following the path of a scar he was all too familiar with. Neji shakily rose to his feet and slipped the choker into his pocket. He wiped the tear away and turned to the trees, walking slowly away. He knew of only one person that would fit the dragon's description; only one person would be willing to help him. _And I'll make sure I return your choker, in whatever life we meet. I'll keep one promise to you. No matter what it costs. And although we can't be together, I'll never forget you.

* * *

_

Author Note: Sorry for the cheesy ended. I really don't like conclusions. Anyway, there's only an epilogue left O_O I'll get that out ASAP. So, not much else to say besides: Snow days are awesome!!! So, I own nothing, just what has been previously claimed. Peace out.

-cagedbird361


	54. Epilogue: Shadow of the Day

Epilogue: Shadow of the Day

The air was cool at the high altitude above the clouds, the world miniscule and blurred at such a distance. Shura-Tatsu beat his wings infrequently, just enough to prevent too many water droplets from freezing on his leathery hide. He scanned the ground far below him, red eyes searching for any sign of what he was looking for.

A cloud passed under him and he banked to the right, gracefully swooping in a great circled until he made sure that the cloud had not blocked anything important from his sight. He turned and continued on through the atmosphere, coasting on thermals and other air currents to save as much energy as he could. At this height, he would be nothing more than a bird to anyone who cared to try to identify the creature soaring through the skies long after midnight.

The darkest part of the night had passed and the eastern sky was just beginning to lighten with the first hues of daybreak. The dragon's crimson gaze scoured the trees beneath him, looking for any presence or chakra flare from the one he sought. He fell into a gentle dive, leveling out just below the lowest hanging clouds in hopes of increasing his chances of success.

The dragon's keen eyes detected a thin line of dissipating smoke several miles away and Shura-Tatsu beat his wings harshly to move forward in a burst of speed. It was faint and barely there, but the light gray of the smoke caught the slightest illumination and stood out sharply against the dark shapes of the trees. Shura-Tatsu angled his body slightly to slice through the air, rocketing along a particularly strong air current.

He covered the miles in far less time than any normal creature could manage, and he was soon banking in a large spiral to gradually reach the ground. He used the smoke as a center point to aim his landing in the small clearing, his large body difficult to fit in such a cramped space. Shura-Tatsu could not avoid snapping several limbs off of each tree ringing the clearing as he landed, and he hoped that he had not injured anyone within the clearing. He lowered his head beneath the canopy of treetops and scanned the dark forest.

A small fire still smoldered faintly, the winds his wings had produced had snuffed the strongest of the blaze. There were several bones from a small animal that were the remnants of a meal the occupant of the makeshift camp had eaten. But the camp was empty and said occupant was not present.

"Damn it," Shura-Tatsu growled coldly. "Had to move on when I specifically told her not to. Must she _always_ make things difficult?"

But her scent was not hard to follow, neither was her chakra flare. Shura-Tatsu simply scanned the surrounding forest as the light hues of dawn slowly bled into the deepest blues of the sky, the growing light perfect for searching for her fleeing figure. She had moved a considerable distance, but Shura-Tatsu was quick to rise to the air and pursue her.

She panicked once she sensed him approaching, but she could do nothing to escape the dragon with its sense of hunting at its highest. She tried to quicken her pace, but the danger of the still-dark forest prevented her from moving at her preferred speed. She could soon feel the erratic gusts of wind bursting from above the trees as Shura-Tatsu's wing beats fell directly over her location. She knew he would not care about any injury that he might sustain and would be determined to get to her no matter what. No tree or other obstruction would hinder the dragon's path.

The large reptile crashed through the treetops in front of her, landing with a thunderous splintering sound. He stood low to the ground, crouched with an aggressive snarl curling its upper lip. Shura-Tatsu bore his teeth as his red eyes flashed, glaring at her with a livid stare. She back peddled into a tree, pressing herself against the knobby bark to make herself as small as possible.

"I told you not to move," Shura-Tatsu hissed, taking a belligerent step forward. "Why must you always be such a recalcitrant fool?!"

"I-I'm sorry," she said softly, staring fearfully into the dragon's vermillion glare. "I didn't know that you would be so angry."

"Angry?! I'm furious!" Shura-Tatsu snaked his head forward enough so that his hot breath hissed through his fangs and whirled onto her face. "Do you know what you have done? Do you realize the consequences of your actions?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Sit down. I don't want you running off again and I'm not in my most comfortable state at the moment." Shura-Tatsu waited for her to sit before he took his turn in situating himself. He maneuvered his large body in-between the trees to be as comfortable as possible before resting down on his belly. He calmed his fiery rage enough to speak coherently. "You need to rethink your decision."

"I've made up my mind. You know that there is no other way."

"No, you're wrong!" Shura-Tatsu saw her flinch at his tone; his anger gave it an underlying roar. "You have no idea what you've done to the boy. He's been shattered in the same way that you had previously been. And he doesn't know how to cope."

"You told him what I told you he needs to know, right?"

"Yes, I told him to seek out another that would help him through the situation, but I'm not sure if he heeded by advice. I left before he made his decision."

"He has someone. He'll be okay. I know it."

"How are you so sure?" Shura-Tatsu was given no response. "You hold a piece of him. _He_ doesn't even understand how much you mean to him. He's never faced a situation like this before. He may very well die."

"He won't die. He's too stubborn to do that."

"You're making assumptions that could easily be wrong! You have to remember that he's a human, too. Although it may not seem like it, his emotions affect his way of living as much as yours do. Your little stunt was cruel: protecting yourself from the explosion with that barrier ninjutsu you have, and then healing him once you realized that he was injured. Then you flee without letting him know that you're safe and make him think that it's his fault that you're 'dead'."

She cast her gaze downward. They were silent for several minutes, each immersed in their own thoughts. Shura-Tatsu noticed that she was wearing different clothes: full-length pants and a long-sleeve black shirt, both made of a thick, black material. He did not bother to wonder how she had acquired them.

"Why don't you just go back? It will save the both of you some much-unwanted sorrow. It will solve everything."

"No it won't." She kept her gaze down, shadows concealing her eyes as her hair fell to either side of her face. The light was slowly leaking between the leaves in the slightest way possible. "I can't go back, Shura-Tatsu. You know that."

"There has to be a way. There's always a solution."

"Not under these circumstances." She raised her head, a rueful smirk meeting the dragon's eyes. "There's no way I could go back. If I did, it would spell our deaths. All of our deaths." She folded her arms over her stomach and pulled her knees up closer to her chest. "It's too dangerous." She kept her eyes on the ground and twisted her fingers into the baggy cloth of her sleeves. "You let him know, right?"

"Yes, I told him, and he seemed pretty damn appalled. But it can't be _that_ dangerous, right? You aren't even sure who the father is."

"That's why I can't go back. No matter who it is, I'm in danger. His clan would never allow us to contact each other if I suddenly returned. With the state that he's in now, they'll hate me even more than they already do, and nothing will change that. And that's only the Hyuuga Clan. I'll most certainly make many more adversaries throughout the Village. And anyone, inside or outside the Village, who is against my clan will want my head on a post. And the Suterusu dies with me, so I would be the only one they would need to kill. I'd be painting a target on my back if I put myself back on the radar by returning to the Village. If I can keep by existence unknown for as long as possible, I can ensure our lives for just a little while longer."

"But what do you have out here? Where will you go?"

Katana's smirk grew slightly larger. "Have you forgotten, Shura-Tatsu? I've spent four years of my life in these parts of the world. I have many enemies, but I also have many allies in this wilderness. There are people out her that will help me. And I can find a place for myself. I always have."

"But how do you know that?"

"This land that we're in right now, this limbo between Kuse no Kuni and Oto no Kuni, has no shinobi village. These people have heard of ninja, but rarely interact with them. I'll be a celebrity." She let out a forced laugh but bowed her head. "It's better than nothing."

"And what about the boy? What will you do about him?"

Her voice dropped to a low murmur. "He thinks I'm dead. He can live his life as he wants." She hugged her knees more tightly to her chest. "I only hope that I can linger in his memory in the years to come once he has found someone to take my place."

"You're giving him up? How can you do that? You love him!"

"That's why." She lifted her right hand and stared at the burn scar on her palm. "Because I love him, I have to make this sacrifice. For the sake of keeping our lives, I have to take this path. I have to close this window of my life and turn away. Sometimes solutions are not the simplest things to create. Sometimes goodbye is the only way."

"You really believe that?"

She nodded slowly.

"Why can't you just go back and take the risk? You've defied the fates before, so why won't you do it again? I dare say that I'm pleading for you to go back. You have to go back to the boy!"

"I only wish I could." She closed her eyes and lifted her head to the sky, allowing the wan light of the morning to softly rest on her features. "Believe me, Shura-Tatsu, I really wish that I could return. You don't know how much a want to see him again." She allowed tears to slide down her cheeks. "I would give everything I have in this world to be with him. But there is no higher power that would make that exchange. That's just the way the world works. And my defiance of fate seems not to work as well as it used to. If it really were that defiant, I would still be with him, wouldn't I? I'm lucky that I was able to keep myself alive, and I don't want to push my luck any further and end up actually getting myself killed. I have something I need to live for now…someone..." She fell into silence and sighed heavily, keeping her eyes on the continually lightening sky. She had a growing feeling of nausea, something she knew she would have to become accustom to in the months to come.

"Are you sure that you won't change your mind? Are you sure that this is what is best?"

She did not respond immediately. She looked to Shura-Tatsu's red eyes and curled her right hand into a loose fist. "Yeah, I'm sure. It's the only way to keep us safe."

The dragon nodded slowly, a whisper of somberness angling his eyes. "So be it. Call on me whenever you need me. You know I am always prepared to assist you."

"I know, Shura-Tatsu. Thank you. For everything."

"Be well, Katana."

The dragon disappeared in a puff of smoke and she stared up to the sky until the sun had fully risen. A thin cover of clouds coated the sky as far as the trees allowed her to see. She knew that the world would be of an ashen color for the rest of the day, the grey embracing the sky for miles in every direction.

_No matter how far apart we are, I know we can look at the same sky. I'll think of you when I look at the clouds. I'll think of you when I remember why I'm here. I'll think of you when I face a strong opponent. I'll think of you when I feel that I can't go on. I'll think of you when I see the birds flying in their own blue sea, and I'll wonder where you are. And I'll wonder if you're thinking of me too. _

_Think of me when you see fire. Remember me when you see a sword. Think of me when you believe all is lost. Remember me when you think that there are no options left. No matter what happens, you will always be with me, and I'll always be with you even if we forget or are forgotten. Yeah, we will always be under the same sky, and we will always walk the same earth. We're not as far apart as you think. _

Katana walked off into the forest as the sun slowly traveled across the sky, casting its shadow of the day over the world through the clouds. _And no matter what hand the cards of fate deal us, no matter what obstacles we face, and no matter who tries to stop us, we will meet again one day, Neji. I promise.

* * *

_

Author Note: And thus ends the tale of the sword and the spiral. But the events of Neji Hyuuga and Katana Suterusu do not end here. Katana will keep her promise, as will Neji... in the sequel!!!! Yes, I've done it. I've formulated an ingenious plot *evil snicker* to continue this. I'm not done yet X3 So, I will do my best to get that started ASAP when I get a break from school. And I swear that the sequel will not be 50+ chapters. Yeah... I got the hint that this was a little extensive. Thank you to everyone: my readers, reviewers, my advice givers, the people who read this that I have no idea about... YOU ALL ROCK!!! Thanks for stickin' with me through the year and two months that it's taken to complete this. So if you want to give me comments, now is the time to do so. And I hope the ending wasn't too cheesy. I hate conclusions... So, that's basically all I've got for now. So R&R for S&S! So for the last time of this story, Peace Out.

-cagedbird361 :)


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